


Stage Job

by Karacidal



Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Alternate Universe - Stripper/Exotic Dancer, M/M, Pining, Slow Burn, Strippers & Strip Clubs, Stripping, Texting
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-25
Updated: 2019-05-25
Packaged: 2020-03-17 09:44:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 34,654
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18962746
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Karacidal/pseuds/Karacidal
Summary: You weren't supposed to actually fall in love with strippers, right? Yet here Tyler was, totally infatuated and in too deep.In which Josh is a stripper and Tyler a broke college graduate recovering from a breakup.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this story throughout the summer of 2017. It's not finished, and likely won't be for a while, but figured I should share the 34k words I've written so far. It's a little silly, but I hope you enjoy!
> 
> Also available on [Wattpad](https://www.wattpad.com/story/188695304-stage-job-joshler)!

"No, this is not happening, I'm not going, and that's it."

Tyler tugged his arm out of his friends' grasps.

"Come on, please! It'll make you feel better."

"Jon, no. I'm not leaving the house." Tyler looked at the other man, annoyed yet still someone intrigued. They really wanted him to go out tonight. "And Mark, you're better than this. Remember last time?"

"We'll just go without you and you'll feel all alone!" Mark responded, ignoring what Tyler had actually said. "You'll really regret it."

"No, I won't." Tyler fell back onto the couch and covered his face with his arms. Okay, maybe he would feel left out. But no way was he actually going to do this.

Jon and Mark started pulling at his legs now, both overlapping each other with their pleading words.

"Tylerrrrr..." Jon said, drawing his name out. "If you're gonna be so stuck up about it—"

"Okay, fine!"

Tyler's friends looked between each other in shock, then grinned.

"Ah, I knew we'd wear you down eventually." Mark chided. Tyler offered his hand out and let his friend pull him up, leaving the comfy couch behind.

"Welcome to the big boy club, Ty—"

"Don't even go there Jon. This isn't my first time... Mark remembers. And he knows why I don't wanna go."

Mark paused, pretending to be confused by this statement.

"I mean... There was an incident last time, yes, but—"

Tyler pursed his lips as he put on his hat. "But nothing! It was... Really weird. But because you guys won't shut up about it I'll let it happen. Don't think this is a recurring thing though."

A high five was exchanged between Mark and Jon, dumb smiles still on their faces.

"Alright! We're taking Tyler to a strip club!"


	2. Chapter 2

Yes, Tyler had been to a strip club before. Only one other time though. It was back in his senior year of college, and he went with Mark after a similar event of whining and pleading.

He wasn't a drinker, and so the night was pretty uneventful... At least Tyler thought so. He was practically begging to go home, and kept glancing away from the strippers, God forbid he make eye contact with any of them and let think that meant something.

Not that he didn't have respect for strippers but... That just wasn't his thing.

Mark really just wanted Tyler to have a good time, and he did try at least. He was cracking jokes, quietly pointing out other weird dudes throwing money.

But Tyler felt weird too. It was just uncomfortable, and he kept worrying that he looked out of place. He didn't know how to act or anything. But about halfway through the night, Tyler promised to himself he'd power through, because it slowly became apparent that this was more for Mark than him.

His friend was more than a few drinks in, randomly cheering, and kept reaching for his wallet. He'd gone and gotten a bunch of ones beforehand, and his pocket was practically stuffed full...

The strip club they went to tonight felt exactly the same. It was on the other side of the state, with different people, and even different obnoxious lighting. But the atmosphere was just like that night a few years back. Drunks guys mumbling noisily amongst themselves, security guards eyeing you from every doorway.

Jon seemed confident as he walked in, Mark following after, and Tyler trailing a few steps behind them. They immediately made for the bar, and Tyler took the opportunity to get a water and look into the liquid like he could see it's soul. Anywhere but someone's eyes.

"Sure you don't want anything?" Jon asked, already tipping alcohol down his throat. He shook the bottle in his hand at Tyler a little teasingly, but he didn't want to push his boundaries more than they already were.

Tyler looked at it for a solid 20 seconds, considering, then took a quick sip from Jon's bottle. He coughed and sputtered almost immediately.

"Yep, no, I still don't like that taste." He paused; the bottle was still resting in his hand. "But screw it, I need something to distract me anyway."

He took another sip, a little longer this time, then handed it back to Jon. "Damn boy, don't hurt yourself, you almost drank a full teaspoon!" He laughed, in no way serious. Tyler snorted, but his face was still contorted as he tried getting the taste out of his mouth.

"Look at him, he's already buzzed," Mark joked, punching Tyler's shoulder softly. "But good on you, haven't seen you even try any since freshman year."

Tyler sighed, the obnoxious flavor still plaguing his mouth. "Yeah, 'cause I don't like it." He smugly smiled and watched his friends drink more in a single swig than he ever had in his life.

"I know we practically dragged you here, but if you want to leave don't let us keep you." Mark let him know, speaking genuinely. Tyler shrugged, going back to his cup of water.

"It's alright, now that I'm out here I feel a little bit better. It's... Something other than moping around the house all day." He smiled appreciatively, eyes still preoccupied with his drink.

He hadn't been feeling great lately, and he was so thankful for friends that actually wanted to help and do something for him. Maybe a strip club was a little excessive but... What else do you do after a break up?


	3. Chapter 3

The three chatted a while, hanging out mostly around the bar. Some other guys came up and joined them occasionally, but eventually moved on to watch the dancers.

It'd been maybe near an hour now, but none of them had even gone near the main stage; and Tyler was thankful no other strippers had walked up to them offering anything again.

"Tyler, I don't mean to pry, but uh..." Jon paused, drinking a little, holding himself up with the bar. "What happened the first time you went to a strip club?" He glanced over at Mark as he asked, making sure it wasn't too deep of a nerve. Mark didn't really have anything to say about it and just drank as a response.

"Oh, well..." Tyler started, looking up for what felt like the first time. Jon was looking at him intently, slightly buzzed and curious. "It wasn't anything horrible, per se, but,"

Mark was now the one hiding behind his drink, looking nervous. He didn't say anything though.

"Long story short, Mark bought us both lap dances."

Jon burst out laughing, then quickly apologized, but couldn't hide his smile. "No way, really?! Mark, you're kidding me!"

Tyler wasn't very fond of the memory, but seeing Jon's reaction made him feel a little better— someone else understood how ridiculous it was.

"I don't blame him now," Tyler spoke up. "Mark was kinda in the same spot that I am now."

Jon nodded knowingly, but kept laughing despite himself.

Mark rolled his eyes, finally doing something other than blush fervently. "He's right, I was just trying to make myself feel better and I kinda dragged him into it. But—"

Tyler full on laughed now, appreciating the humor of the situation. It was forever ago anyway. "The, the best part—" He said between giggles. "Oh my lord, you wouldn't believe it, but—"

Mark gently shoved Tyler back as a warning, but he was hiding a smile. "Don't tell him that part!"

Jon leaned in intently now, wanting to know what was such a big deal.

"Okay, well I mean at the time it was very uh... Shocking. And I still try and forget it. But thinking about it now it's— wow," Tyler broke out into another fit of laughs.

"What?! You guys gotta spit it out eventually!" Jon spat out, almost exasperated at this point.

"So, I eventually wormed my way out of the dance, I explained that I wasn't really up for something like this. They understood and didn't care cause they already got their money, but—" Tyler looked over at Mark who was beet red.

"The guy who went over to give Mark his lap dance, it— it was Brad!"

Jon and Tyler lost it, and Mark sniggered a little, covering his face with his hands.

"You're joking! No fucking way man!" Jon yelled between laughs, face scrunched up trying to even see that. "You do mean, OUR Brad, right? Like the one that's our friend?"

Mark said nothing but his silence meant everything.

"You're shitting me man, that's absolutely hilarious!"

Tyler had his hand over his mouth, lazily hiding his grin. Seeing Mark laugh about it made him feel a lot better. He was always good at getting over things by just making them humorous.

"Okay, okay, laugh all you want... And not that you would, but please don't mention this to him. He doesn't do it anymore anyway," Mark spoke up. Jon nodded of course, but still kept breaking into laughs every couple of seconds.

"I'm good, oh shit, that just— wow. That really got me." Jon's face was pink with laughter and a hint of tipsy. Him and Tyler just looked at each other and shook their heads, then glancing back at Mark. He was still red, but now looked okay with the jokes.

"You know what this means, right?" Jon continued. "We gotta get lap dances now."

"Oh hell no, I'm not even gonna try and let that happen in any situation." Mark shook his head, pounding back the rest of his beer. "I'm not looking for that tonight, or ever again."

Tyler nodded in agreement. "I didn't even get one, but Mark's whole... Situation was enough to make me never want one."

"Nah, nah. You should totally. I understand Mark's lack of interest, but you got nothing to lose, yeah?" Jon brushed his shoulder against Tyler's, getting him to look up again from a now empty cup.

"In your dreams, Bellion." Was all he said, crushing the plastic cup and tossing it into a can a few feet away.

It went quiet for a moment, no one knowing what else to say, when suddenly a new voice spoke up.

"You boys thinking of getting lap dances?"

Panic mode set in— for all of them really— as a stripper walked by and heard all the wrong parts of their conversation.

The man was fairly short, shorter than any of them, and had lazily combed blond hair. He grazed a hand down Mark's arm, who couldn't help but laugh given the situation.

"I'm— whoo boy. I— sorry for laughing, I just—" Mark covered his mouth, embarrassed.

Jon ran a hand over his face, shaking his head. "I uh... Sorry, we were just talking about negative experiences with lap dances. No offense of course, I'm sure you're great."

The stripper laughed too. "No harm no foul, you guys have a good night. Maybe check out my show later, yeah?" Then he walked off with a wink, brushing Tyler's shoulder as he passed him.

And they all burst out laughing again.


	4. Chapter 4

A little more time had passed, and Jon and Mark were on the brink of drunkenness. Tyler had a few more sips of beer to humor them, and at some point they moved to sit down at a table in front of the stage.

Tyler was still barely looking up, but found it funny trying to make eye contact with his friends while they were both obviously distracted with the dancers.

He couldn't complain; this night wasn't nearly as bad as he had expected. He didn't have to explain himself to a stripper for not wanting a lap dance, and the only thing inherently sexual that had happened was the slight touch on the shoulder Tyler got from the guy offering a dance. But even that wasn't bad.

Mark had his wallet out, and Tyler sighed into a laugh. How much would he throw away tonight?

But now Jon was up, leaning on the railing and throwing in a few ones— was that a $20 bill he just tossed?

Tyler wanted to melt into his chair a little bit. But he was still enjoying watching Mark and Jon bump into each other while drunkenly holding a conversation.

Up on stage, it was the stripper that passed by them earlier, and Jon started whooping. The guy seemed fairly nice, not pushing them on the lap dances, and smiled noticing the fans he'd accrued through the night.

Tyler watched from an angle. If you looked at the shiny metal beams lining the ceiling, you could see a distorted reflection of the stage. No eye contact required, it was the perfect way for Tyler to not be entirely out of the loop while not interacting directly.

However this method only worked so well. Seeing him stare off into space, a stripper walking the floor approached him, and the eye contact Tyler had been avoiding so much happened.

"You doing alright sweetheart?" The man asked— he almost looked genuinely concerned, but Tyler figured it was just to get more money out of the customers.

"Uh— um, yeah. I'm fine. Thanks though." Tyler mumbled out, looking down at another empty water cup. But he'd already looked into striking blue eyes, who were just doing their job and trying to engage the people.

"You sure? You don't want a lap dance, baby?" The man asked. He was blond like the other guy, but had much longer and thicker hair. He looked fairly tall, but Tyler couldn't tell sitting down.

And to his dismay, Jon and Mark had broken their attention during that exact second to see their friend trying to politely decline a dance.

"MARK!" Jon shouted out over the music. "Look at Tyler!"

Mark, who was very clearly looking at the same thing, yelled as well. "Yeah Tyler!"

Oh great, encouragement. Tyler shifted awkwardly in his chair, looking back up at the blond man again, who was now focused on Jon and Mark.

"Those your friends? They seem like nice guys. You're not much of a club guy though, are you?"

Tyler vaguely shrugged.

"That's alright. I'm Ranger, nice to meet you Tyler." He introduced himself, hands on his hips. "Don't be afraid to try new things baby, I'll be around if you want me."

And another rush of relief passed over him as Ranger sashayed away. Jon snapped his fingers somewhat disappointed, calling out to Tyler again.

"You should take up his offer!" He spat out. Mark nodded in agreement. They were both walking back over to the table, as that show for the hour was wrapping up.

"Yeah, I talked to him earlier, Ranger right? He had a show before Jamez." Mark informed, holding out the Z slightly. He gestured to the stage behind him, where Jamez was now was walking off behind a curtain.

"Are you guys best buds with 'Jamez' now?" Tyler asked jokingly. "Everyone could hear you two hollering about him."

"You know, maybe. But I feel like they act that way with everyone, make it feel more personal." Mark said somewhat sadly, sitting down at the table.

"You know, I thought that too. But he knew our names!" Jon wondered aloud, sitting down as well.

"That's because you told him your names... You kept yelling about it because the music was blaring." Tyler said with a chuckle. It was now much quieter in the room, although background music played faintly. When shows were happening it felt almost deafening.

"Well, Jamez earned his..." Jon counted on his fingers. "$47 well— the dude knows a pole."

"$47?" Tyler asked. "You're gonna go broke, and we've been here maybe two hours."

"I'm just having a bit of fun, that's all. I'll let you borrow some dollar bills, if you want. I mean not like a lot. And they have to be for the raining of cash, not just shoving it in your pocket to save for later." Jon said, raking through his wallet.

"Yeah... I'll pass." Tyler replied, swirling his water cup. He watched the few droplets left at the bottom move in weird patterns.

But now Jamez was done his show, he was walking the floor— and nearing them once again.

"Hey boys," He said, flirty. He was a little shiny with sweat, and panting slightly.

Tyler was pretty sure he was exaggerating it for effect, but he wasn't complaining. Not that the guy was his type anyway— but none of the men at the club were bad looking. All of them were a passable level of attractiveness.

It was kind of like produce in a supermarket. Sure, some of the avocados are a little more ripe than the others, but at the end of the day they're all the same fruit.

Jon perked up, turning to see Jamez. "Did you see us?!" He asked, almost bewildered.

"Of course, we're all in the same room silly. And you two were the loudest."

Mark and Jon celebrated like it was some sort of accomplishment. Tyler laughed, and caught Jamez's attention.

"I didn't see you up there, what gives, huh?" The stripper turned and wore a pouty lip, looking disappointed.

"Man, I must've just missed it, huh?" Tyler replied, a little bit of kick behind his words. Was it flirting? No way. He wasn't doing that.

"You know, I do have more private shows if that's your thing." Jamez offered with a smirk, a hand briefly touching Tyler once again. "I won't make you do anything you wouldn't enjoy, but let me know, sweetie. I'll be here."

Jamez spun around, leaving his ass in Tyler's face for a moment— Tyler tried his hardest to hold back a laugh, pulling himself into his chair a little— then the scantily clad man walked away to catch up with other people.

"I think he likes youuu..." Mark said exaggeratedly.

"Oh definitely. I mean, look at him over there saying the same exact thing to everyone else." Tyler responded with a little bit of malice in his voice.

It wasn't Jamez he was mad at, it wasn't Ranger, it wasn't the club itself... It was the fact that nothing seemed genuine anymore.

Maybe Mark and Jon were alright in Tyler's book. They were having a great time, and it cheered Tyler up to see them like that.

But it just made him think of his ex, how nothing mattered between them, and now here Tyler was— a mess. Practically curled up in his chair in the middle of a strip club, denying any offer he got for a little fun, and being dramatically reminded of how fake his relationship was...

Tyler threw his cup at a singing Mark, and tried his hardest to melt away into the pleather of his seat.


	5. Chapter 5

The more time they spent there, the less awkward it became. For Mark and Jon anyway, they were under the influence enough to not be bothered by any of the numbering dancers that passed by offering their services.

Tyler had grown a little more used to it, but nothing could prepare him for the next stage show.

The regular faint music was growing into a song with pumping bass— lights dimmed slightly around the patrons, and instead began to illuminate the stage.

The other people around them started cheering, making their way up front. Mark and Jon looked ready to get up too, leaving Tyler alone once again. Not that he minded, he could probably ignore the noise enough to just take a nice little nap...

But for now it was impossible to even think over the noise. The song was picking up more and more, the DJ introducing the next pole dancer. Tyler missed the name while trying to tone everything out, but it must've been someone popular because the excited chatter got much louder.

Tyler watched now out of curiosity. If he couldn't avoid it, he might as well just let it happen. There were performances every hour, meaning only short lived breaks with some quiet.

The music went silent for a few seconds, drawing everyone's attention back in when the curtains split and the beat dropped, practically shaking the building.

A man strutted out that Tyler hadn't seen walking the floor yet, and by the crowd's reaction seemed like a real hit with regular customers.

His dark curly hair bounced with every little movement he made. He was only wearing a pair of athletic shorts that looked suspiciously like the were going to tear away.

Moving to the beat of the song playing, his hips moved rhythmically. Something about him entranced Tyler more than the other dancers— maybe it was the feeling that his chocolate brown eyes were staring right back into Tyler's.

Oh. He was totally looking at him.

Tyler blushed instinctively. Well, he's probably just looking at everyone, right? And he was. A few other men closer to the stage called for him as he approached the gleaming pole, spinning around it briefly to look at his growing audience.

"Damn..." Tyler mumbled to himself. Maybe this night wasn't going to be so unbearable at all.

Mark and Jon were down there up close and personal, and was Tyler jealous? It was possible. But was it plausible?

Yes, Tyler decided.

It wasn't like he was that far away from where he was sitting; the stage was maybe 10 feet from the little table they had claimed as their own.

Maybe it was just the fact that he was a newly single guy, and this dancer finally pulled his attention in unlike the other ones.

The song playing sounded overtly sexual, even with the bass so loud the lyrics just came out as vibrations. The man was still circling the pole, warming everyone up. He still had his pants on, for Pete's sake.

God, his back muscles were so defined Tyler practically was envious. He stared dreamily.

Suddenly he stopped wrapping himself around the metal beam, walking with purpose to the end of the stage.

And then he ripped his pants off.

Tyler felt embarrassed for a moment, that this guy's pants had come off in front of everyone, but then he remembered that was the point and laughed.

He was still intently watching though. The dancer was now in nothing but a black thong that might as well have not been there at all.

The red shorts he had been wearing were now being spun in circles by the waist band, until he pulled back on the elastic and let it shoot into the eager audience below.

Tyler kinda wished he was closer. Maybe if the thong comes off... That thing could probably travel a little farther... If he got the angle just right...

And now he was just staring at this guy's crotch. It was complimented nicely by a muscular pair of thighs that started to wrap around the pole.

Tyler felt dirty, even for being in a strip club, but didn't care at this point. Maybe since everyone was distracted he could get up and move a little closer without it being awkward.

So he moved towards the stage. It wasn't a very long walk, and soon Tyler was squeezing himself in between Mark and Jon, who welcomed their friend with lots of cheering and pats on the back.

"Hey, did either of you catch this guy's name? Completely missed it," Tyler asked without breaking away from the scene unfolding in front of him. Thick thighs, a tight ass, and, well, a nice dick.

Jon wiggled his eyebrows even though no one was looking at him, and eventually answered Tyler after a good twenty seconds.

"They call him Daddy Dun."


	6. Chapter 6

Tyler was beside himself. He had long given up caring and had one thing in mind— probably the hottest guy he'd ever seen, wrapping himself around a stripper pole.

Dun's body moved in a way that turned Tyler on like, a lot.

But he knew he wasn't the only one. The other people nearby looked all as equally stunned. Dun smirked, slowly unwinding from the pole.

There was an audible sigh of disappointment, thinking he was already finished, but instead he walked up to the very edge of the stage once again.

Tyler looked up at Dun, who was towering over him. It was a fantastic angle. His legs were ever so slightly spread apart, showing off his ass as he leaned down closer to—

To Tyler, who was red in the face and smiling giddily. In one fluid motion, the dancer had lowered his face close enough to the crowd that Tyler could see his eyeliner, his eye shadow, and the mascara on each individual eyelash.

And then Dun took Tyler's baseball hat off his head, blowing a small kiss to him as he put it on backwards.

Tyler practically gasped, Mark and Jon excitedly shaking their friend and yelling about it like it didn't just happen.

Now hatless, Tyler bit his knuckles as he watched Dun easily swing around the pole once again, sticking his tongue out slightly.

He maneuvered himself to be hanging upside down, and looked almost longingly at Tyler. Not moving from his position, Dun took the hat off his head and placed it gently back onto Tyler, and flashed a gorgeous smile at him before pulling himself up.

The song started slowing down a little bit, and Dun kept working the pole, grinding up against it.

Tyler was mesmerized and didn't know what else to do, so just joined in the cheering. Though the music was starting to fade out, Daddy Dun had one more trick to pull off.

One arm slinging around the pole, he swung himself up into the air a bit and did a flip, while still using just the bar to hold up his entire weight.

He landed gracefully facing the crowd, a slight gleam of sweat gracing his body. He smiled slyly and pulled the strap of his thong down slightly, before letting it snap back into place.

Dun bit his lip, eyes lit up with pride at his performance. He batted his eyelashes, ran a hand through his messy hair, and gave a quick spin around the pole before walking off the stage confidently, hip swaying and disappearing behind curtains as everyone clapped and hollered excitedly.

Jon and Mark immediately spun around to Tyler, who looked absolutely dumbstruck.

Their words of happiness overlapped one another, then Tyler smacked his hand to his face.

"I didn't— I didn't give him any money! I just let him dance and not a SINGLE dollar— oh I probably look like a jackass!" Tyler muttered, going through his pockets to pull out the wallet he didn't plan on opening at all.

"I'll have to— oh man," He said very worriedly. Mark placed a hand on Tyler's shoulder.

"Dude, he made plenty of cash from everyone else. I think I saw a $100 bill at one point," He reassured.

Tyler was still pulling out wads of bills. "You know I didn't even see that? I think I was too distracted..." He sighed and looked at the money in his hand. Maybe if Dun walked the floor after the show—

And indeed he did.


	7. Chapter 7

Tyler turned around and practically slammed into the other man, who was already out on the floor a few minutes after his show.

He apologized profusely to the other man, who was now wearing a pair of black and yellow booty shorts, which Tyler found hard to ignore.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't know you were right there—"

"Little eager, aren't you?" The dancer teased— Tyler's hand had been resting on Dun's chest.

"Oh! My bad, I— sorry..." His face a pure red at this point, Jon and Mark's ooh-ing noises did not help at all.

"It's all good, babe. Wanted to make sure you were alright, you looked like you were about to pass out down there."

Tyler took a breath, looking for words. "Yeah, it's just— you're really great, on stage I mean. I don't really come to clubs or anything so I wasn't all that... Experienced." He paused. Dun was looking at him so intently Tyler was pretty sure he was about to melt right then and there.

He looked at the crumpled money in his hand, feeling kind of dumb and flustered.

"I was going to give you some money but I just— wow. I was distracted, you know?" Tyler felt somewhat bad for how brash he was being, but that kind of praise probably came with the territory of being a stripper.

Daddy Dun laughed and Tyler's knees felt a little weak.

"Oh, you're too sweet! Don't worry about that, it's enough that you let me borrow your hat, yeah?" He gave Tyler a pat on the arm, winking.

Tyler could feel Jon and Mark's stares, but they were now quiet, letting their friend have his moment. But now he kind of wanted them to say or do ANYTHING to help hide how speechless Tyler was.

"My name's Josh, by the way. Stage names are a little silly in my opinion, but that's what they gave me."

Oh. Josh. That name was suddenly the best name Tyler had ever heard in his life.

"Tyler— um, my name is Tyler." He offered, coming back to earth. Josh was like any other person, just with a... much more interesting job.

"Cool, nice to meet you Ty. If you want to put that money towards something a little more special just let me know, okay?" Josh gave him another brush of the shoulder, and for the first time Tyler saw the bright red polish he had on his nails.

Fuck, he was cute.


	8. Chapter 8

Tyler watched Josh walk away with longing in his eyes, then turned back to his friends, and fell into them.

"GUYS, did that just happen?!" He mumbled out. Mark was the one that caught him, and was looking shocked himself.

"Shit dude, what are you still doing here? Go get a lap dance from him!"

"Fuck that," Jon blurted in. "Get a private show!"

Tyler pulled away from Mark and stood up, pulling his arms up into his hoodie. "No way, not happening. That guy is too much! I don't want to be any needier or weirder than I've already been..."

"Dude. He told you his fucking NAME. I've never seen a stripper do that 'cause they want to be confidential and shit. I think he likes you."

"He wants me to spend money, that's all..." Tyler looked at the cash he was still holding on to and put it in his back pocket. He was desperate, but maybe not that much.

"Did you see he had gauges?" Mark turned to Jon, leaving Tyler to simmer in his own thoughts. Maybe he'd see Josh again later outside his job, and— no, Tyler doubted. He had never seen him before, he probably didn't even live near there...

"Tyler!" Jon shouted, jerking Tyler out of his thoughts. "Did you see his nose ring? God he's so pretty,"

"I— didn't even see that. I think I was lost in his eyes."

"Aww, Tyler's got such a crush." Mark cooed.

"Yeah, you think?" Jon remarked. "He hasn't been able to focus on anything since that hot piece of ass first graced the stage..."

Tyler shrugged— it wasn't wrong.

"You've got one shot man." Jon continued. "If I was you I'd take Dun up on his offer. Why the hell not, you know?"

"Like I said, I probably already seem way too... Creepy, I don't know. I kept staring at him and crap—"

"You think he doesn't want that? That's his job," Mark butted in. "I'm just saying, you should go back and see him!"

More bickering ensued between the friends, two against one. Though Tyler wasn't opposed to a little meeting with Josh, he felt like he'd gone far enough for the night.

Without saying anything, Tyler started his way for the door, Mark and Jon trailing behind and calling out for him. But he'd already walked out the door and sat, waiting by the car, for whenever his friends would decide to join him... He had to drive them back anyway.

"He called me Ty..." Tyler reminisced their short conversation to himself.

Sitting on the curb out in the parking lot, he had no idea how long he'd be waiting, and if his friends would even come after him. He was just starting to panic in there and needed air anyway.

He didn't want to get his hopes up over some guy he'd never see again.

Tyler was tired of relationships going nowhere when he expected so much out of them. He knew Mark and Jon only wanted him to have a fun night, and— he did. But it was too good to be true. Lusting over a stripper wouldn't help him get out of his rut.

What felt like twenty minutes passed before Jon stumbled out to the car, nearly tripping over Tyler.

"Hey— are you good?" Jon questioned, looking down at Tyler. His arms were still pulled into his hoodie and his eyes plastered to the ground. He looked up at the new voice however.

"I should be asking you the same thing," He responded. Jon looked a little worse for wear, but that was expected. Tyler hadn't known him long, but Jon was a heavy drinker when be wanted to be.

Mark could also pound back alcohol, but usually kept his head despite intoxication. He walked out a minute or two after Jon.

"Tyler, your last chance to hook up with—" He hiccuped. "Josh!" Mark gestured at the building he just exited.

"No. I just want to go home and sleep." Tyler flatly answered, standing up as Mark pulled out his car keys and tossed them to his sober friend.

The drive home was quiet, a hint of pop songs playing in the background to avoid complete silence. Jon and Mark talked about the other strippers, Ranger and Jamez, purposefully avoiding the topic of Dun— which seemed like fairly touchy subject still. Tyler sighed yet appreciated their efforts to not bug him any more.

Tyler had to drop Jon off, but he lived a few blocks away. When he drove himself and Mark to their own apartment complex, he parked in the parking lot and didn't get out immediately.

"Hey Mark," He started. His friend had moved to the front seat after Jon left. "I'm not... It's not dumb of me to have a crush on a stripper, is it?"

Mark paused, and Tyler started screaming internally. Why did he even bring it up, he could've just let it go—

"Listen, in my opinion— yes. In most situations it's a little ridiculous. From my experience they're usually already dating other people. But Dun— or Josh— he actually seemed interested in you. I wouldn't say go after him but maybe see if he's, you know, available."

Tyler heard everything but only paid attention to one thing: 'usually already dating other people'.

That hadn't even crossed his mind until Mark said it. He wasn't trying to discredit his friend's advice, but man was that a let down. Tyler rested his head on the steering wheel.

"You both know each other's names now— it's a mutual thing. Maybe check back on him a little while from now? If he approaches you again he might have more interest than you'd think."

Tyler groaned, lifting his head up and rubbing his tired eyes. He started to unbuckle and get out of the car.

"Thanks Mark. I just— feel so dumb." He had locked the car, and the two of them headed up the stairs to their room.

"Dumb? Why's that?"

"I just got dumped, and I'm already looking for another relationship. With— might I add— a guy who's probably already seeing someone, and a dancer who's most likely just looking for extra tips. It's so... Useless."

Tyler unlocked their door and was already face down on the couch, the same way his day had started.

"Don't talk like that man," Mark said sternly. He was drunk but not dense. "It's not useless. Relationships help a lot of people become stable in life so don't berate yourself for wanting one." He paused. Tyler was still face down on the couch.

"And so what if you think a stripper's hot, that's the point! You can have a crush, and have feelings towards him. That's completely alright. And I don't know how many times I'll have to tell you this, but I'm about 99% sure the feelings are reciprocated."

"How can you be so sure?" Tyler spoke into to the cushion.

"He was looking at you the way you looked at him— and you're not the half naked one."

Mark made his way over to Tyler, and rubbed his back a little. "Please don't get mad at yourself about it, it's okay to feel that way."

"I guess," Tyler replied. "I just wanna go to sleep."

Mark helped Tyler up and took him to his room, where he plopped down on his bed the same way he did with the couch.

Eventually he took his shoes and hat off, shimmied off his jeans, and fell into a restless sleep.

His dreams mostly consisted of Josh.


	9. Chapter 9

Sunday was mostly spent laying around watching TV, but it was back to the usual routine for Tyler by Monday.

Up at 7, shower, and drive him and Mark to work.

The two of them had been coworkers for the past year or so, both doing something they should enjoy in theory. Mark worked in visuals and advertising, and Tyler in sound editing.

However, they were still both at the bottom of the rung at their little radio station downtown.

Mark was more of an assistant than anything, and Tyler was the guy who had to deal with everyone else's technical problems.

Though neither of them could complain. They both got to work with their best friend, and most of the other people there were pretty friendly as well.

Tyler waved briefly to his friend as they split ways and he entered his office— it was more of a sound booth, though. His computer, mixing board, and everything else was spread out before him on flimsy second-generation tables.

Booting everything up expertly, Tyler leaned back in his chair as it loaded. Thoughts of the weekend still bounced around in his mind.

No, he thought, he wasn't gonna let himself get hung up on it. But his brain was already set, so his usual daydream scenario was reliving Saturday in a million different ways.

Even during lunch, Mark found it difficult to hold a conversation and eventually gave up.

Tyler had to do something about it. He had to know if Josh was single, or if he was even into dudes— I mean, yeah he worked at a gay strip club, but that didn't necessarily mean—

Yet for the millionth time that day, Tyler refused to look up his name on Instagram or Twitter. He even had it typed in a few times, but didn't dare actually press search.

He probably wouldn't have any accounts anyway. He'd want to be private and all.

But then Jon's words came back to Tyler— about how rarely he'd ever learned a stripper's actual name... But Josh had willingly and quite eagerly shared his name.

Once again Tyler was distracted from work, on his phone with the name "josh dunn" typed in the Instagram search bar. He wasn't sure the spelling, but knew there could only be so many variations.

Though never specifically learning that "Dunn" was his last name, it just made sense logically. If Josh's stripper name was "Daddy Done", it would just sound like he was constantly finished with something. Plus, Tyler had heard the last name before, and had hope in his assumption.

Totally not creepy, he reassured himself— people look up people all the time. But again he shook his head and tapped the X, erasing the name from his screen.

And after work, Mark drove them home like always; even made dinner, mostly because Tyler seemed like he wouldn't have eaten if no one made any for him.

"You gotta talk to me," Mark spoke up at dinner— if you could even call it that. It was 8pm and they were eating Spaghetti-O's.

"Is this still about Josh?"

Tyler looked up from an empty bowl, finished already.

"No. Yes. Kind of."

"Don't give me that BS answer. For real, is it?"

Defeated, Tyler sighed, pushing his bowl away from the edge of the table just to be safe— then resting his face on the warm part of the table where his food had been sitting.

"I gotta go talk to him, or something. I don't know. I need confirmation that he's not available or else I'll never stop thinking about him."

Mark set his spoon down a little too dramatically.

"Why don't you just look him up on Instagram or something?"

Tyler groaned.

"You think I haven't thought about that? It's all I've been wanting to do, but— that's a little borderline stalker. I'm sure he has a fairly private life 'cause his line of work, and—"

"Shut up, oh my god, I'll do it for you if I have to." Mark, already on his phone, pulled up Instagram and quickly typed in the name.

"Are you actually doing it?! Don't follow him!" Tyler gasped and shot up, but was eagerly looking at his friend's phone from across the table.

"We both have the same idea this his last name is Dunn?" Mark asked, thumbs hovering over his keyboard.

"Yeah, I didn't know the spelling though. Figured two N's?"

Mark shrugged and searched.

But there were easily hundreds of results— it was just too common.

"Looks like we're out of luck. Oh well." Tyler quickly dismissed it and busied himself with taking his bowl to the sink and cleaning it.

"Yeah, what about with one N?" Mark asked aloud— one tap of the backspace brought forth a significant less amount of results.

Tyler pretended not to hear Mark over the water. Sure, he wanted to find the guy, but at the same time he kind of just wanted to avoid the situation for the rest of his life. Actually face his problems? Good luck.

"Oh, here he is. Couple thousand followers— his account isn't private."

Those were the words he'd been wanting to hear.

Tyler was already at Mark's shoulder, looking through pictures. It was all color themed and pretty and he had selfies and—

"Shit man we— we probably shouldn't have looked him up, right?" Tyler backed away but already made a mental note of the account name. So his full name was Joshua...

Mark rolled his eyes. "Too late now. Oh look, here he is with Jamez,"

It was a blurry selfie but it fit the gray color scheme that was going on. It was them sitting together, maybe after work— both were still shirtless. Josh's gorgeous smile shined through the lack of focus.

"So— you think they're like, a thing?" And Tyler was looking over Mark's shoulder again. It could just be a friend selfie, yeah, of course.

"There's another one of him and a different guy, I remember seeing him walking around when we were there."

It was a dark skinned guy Tyler hadn't seen at the club himself, but took Mark's word for it. It looked like they were out at a restaurant together.

"Oh my gosh that one fits his red theme," Tyler looked at the account's color gradient, and how pretty it was, like him.

"Too deep! In too deep..." Tyler mused, but couldn't look away as Mark scrolled further.

"I mean, he looks pretty single to me, just hanging out with work friends."

Tyler sighed. "Why are you so hooked on me getting with him, don't you like him too?"

"He's good looking, sure, but he's obviously got more of an interest in you."

"That's subjective. We barely talked."

"He sought you out, personally, to make sure you were okay. After you pretty much had a heat stroke staring at his body."

"Also subjective. A heat stroke involves passing out, I had more... Just general dehydration."

Josh's Instagram feed was still passing by behind their conversation, but eventually came to an end a couple hundred posts later. The start of his account didn't have the same theme and was mismatched pictures from about five years ago.

"Aw look, he's a biker!" Tyler noticed the pictures of some of his bike rides.

"Pfft, that makes it sound like he rides motorcycles. He's just a dork on a bicycle." Mark scoffed.

His very first picture was grainy, covered in a bad filter and surrounded by a cheesy border. It was just a selfie of him, holding a kitten.

"Tyler, he's gotta be the one, look at him."

"Ahh, I don't know. I feel super stalker-y right now, let's pretend we never saw his account."

Mark scrolled all the way back up. "Come on, look at his bio— it's all sweet and shit."

It was short; it simply read 'You probably know me from somewhere— yes, I'm that guy. I just like music and cats and stuff.'

"We gotta stop, he— he probably gets weird followers all the time that found him and— I don't know."

"Stop worrying. People look at other peoples online accounts secretly all the time, I'm sure he knows people do the same to him," Mark finally closed out of Instagram, watching Josh's icon disappear off the screen (it was a selfie of him wearing a pink hoodie with a jean jacket, sipping out of a green Starbucks straw).

"Fine. But it's useless anyway, we're never gonna see him again."

"If you keep doubting yourself, you're right, yeah. If you wanna see how interested he is, you've gotta at least try to talk to him again."

"Yeah, like that'd ever happen." Tyler walked off towards his bedroom, but had his phone up, already searching for Josh's account to see the pictures for himself.

Though feeling a little more confident learning Josh wasn't seeing anyone, the idea of walking back into that strip club made Tyler's stomach churn... In a good way.


	10. Chapter 10

The week passed quicker than Tyler expected, thrusting him into Friday before he even knew it. Whether it was God deciding to speed up time or just perfect planet alignment, he wasn't sure. But now he was faced with Mark's pleading eyes on their drive home from work.

"Can you turn up here, right at the stoplight?" Mark asked, but it was more of a demand the way he said it. Tyler caught on quickly.

"That's— the road the strip club is on. Pass." Tyler replied back like he was disinterested, but as they approached the intersection he became increasingly eager.

"What's it gonna hurt, huh?" Mark snapped a little. "Hang with the boys, see some booty, it's a fun night."

"Boys? Did you invite people?" Tyler was growing a little frustrated, both at the nearing right turn and Mark's insistent chatter. "And I don't want this to be my weekly thing— like hey! Guess who's stopping at the gay strip club again: This guy! I don't want that."

"Listen, I called up some guys, it's gonna be awesome. I mean, you don't drink, but you'll see Josh again!"

"Who did you invite?" Tyler, as nonchalantly as he could, pulled over into the right hand lane.

Mark noticed and fist pumped. "Well, Jon was busy. But I got John with an H, and Shane, and Dan— from work, you know?" Mark shook Tyler's arm excitedly as their car finally took the turn.

"So what you're saying is, more of an audience to watch me romantically fail with a stripper?"

"Nah! Nah, he's not just a stripper, that guy's got a— a heart of gold! We both stalked his Instagram, I know you've been looking at it since I first brought it up earlier this week."

Tyler acted appalled but couldn't deny the truth.

"I'll drop you off, if that's what you want." He offered to Mark.

"Duh, it's not what I want! You are gonna come in here and talk to Josh like a man. Daddy Dun expects better from you!"

"Maybe. But I— I can't. I'm not ready or even remotely prepared emotionally—"

"Fine, fine. Don't ignore my suggestion though. I think it'll be another fun night."

Tyler kept driving. He wasn't doubtful of that, it'd just be another fun get together with some guys he knew... John and Shane worked in Mark's department, and Dan actually worked in the office right next to Tyler's.

It wasn't like he didn't know them, or didn't like them, just that he wasn't nearly as close to them as he was with Mark. But now it would make it two consecutive weeks Tyler spent time there. Hell, it hadn't even been a full week since last Saturday. He was still recovering from then!

But here they were, now in the parking lot. Mark was already texting the other guys. Tyler busied himself with his own phone.

A car pulled up next to them, blocking the sun glare Tyler had been trying to move his phone out of. Glancing up for a second, he saw the other car— it was a pretty old car but looked well cared for.

Though, the driver—

It was Josh?!

Tyler slid down in his seat like his life depended on it, not wanting to be seen. He was right there! Just walking into work like it was no big deal!

Mark didn't see exactly what had happened but had a big hunch.

"Let me guess, that was—"

"That's his car!" Tyler exclaimed almost giddily. He was gonna be there tonight for sure! Now he was in too deep and already planning out a million different scenarios for what might happen.

Though his mind was now determined he would go inside, Tyler bargained by saying he'd act begrudged about it to not let Mark see through his tough guy façade.

They were early— the place opened at 6. But now that Tyler had actually seen Josh again...

Mark kept glancing over at his friend, who's face was contorted into both excitement and... Constipation?

Tyler's brow was furrowed like he was concentrating, but had a ridiculous smile. Mark just shook his head and laughed.

"Don't hurt yourself over there." He joked.

"Hey!" Tyler shot back, sitting up in his seat. "Don't make fun of my thinking face."

"That's not your thinking face dude, that's like your... Internal struggle face."

"That's— pretty much about right."

Another car pulled up, this time on Mark's passenger side of the car. The window rolled down, Dan sticking his head out dramatically.

Mark didn't roll his window down though, and just let him make ridiculous faces for a few seconds before finally breaking the barrier.

"Hey!" Dan shouted through the newly opened window. "Didn't think you'd actually get Tyler to even come out to one of these places," He teased.

At least Mark hadn't told them anything— Tyler was glad he could continue trusting his friend.

"You'd be surprised," Tyler panned back.

Shane was in the seat next to Dan, and John in the backseat. All seemed in good spirits, friendly yelling at each other about stuff from work, or random jokes.

When the clock struck 6, they weren't the only car all getting out at once. One van in particular, parked on the other side of the lot, had at least six guys climb out. Friday must've been a busy day for the club.

It was much easier for Tyler to walk in this time. He was surrounded by a ton of other people who didn't care about him or his thoughts. He went in completely undetected.

The same bartender from last week was there, cleaning the counter off and briefly waving as people walked in and immediately started getting drinks.

Tyler's group was among them. So far it was practically a repeat of last time. But after getting their drinks, there was barely a beat before they went down to the main stage.

Already?! Tyler looked at Mark, who was too busy following everyone else. I mean, last time they waited like an hour before going down there, and—

Tyler bumped into someone oddly familiar. It— oh, it was one of the guys from Josh's Instagram...

"You doing okay sweetheart?" He asked Tyler, a tone of flirting in his voice. It seemed like some kind of marketing scheme, always asking people questions. Maybe it gave customers a sense of superiority?

Tyler vaguely shrugged and feigned a smile, and went after Mark, trying to stick with him. Otherwise he would just feel so lost. So much was happening too fast.

What if Josh was already walking the floor, what if he didn't remember Tyler..? Yet the night had barely even started.

But already, there were increasingly bumping speakers as the first dancer of the night walked out.

It was that Ranger guy. Tyler shook his head at the fact that he remembered his name— now he was like some regular, or whatever. But he took a deep breath and reminded himself it was only the second time he had been there.

Not knowing what else to do, Tyler was practically attached to Mark's side. The rest of the group was all hollering as Mark told them Ranger's name.

"Hey Mark," Dan yelled out over the music. He had been extremely quiet.

"Yeah?"

"Is this uh—" Dan paused, looking up at the stage. Ranger was humping the pole.

"Is this a GAY strip club?"

Everyone within the surrounding radius laughed, even people they didn't know. Mark gave Dan a pat on the back.

"Dude obviously, did you not pick up on that fact considering you were going to a club with a bunch of other gay guys?"

"I was just— unaware." Dan was still somewhat in shock but bursting with laughter. "I uh— I'm gonna go sit at a table or something and drink, this isn't uh— really my thing."

Shane friendly shoved Dan, sticking his tongue out at him. "Totally oblivious man, did you even see the giant neon sign out front? It's two dudes!"

"Yeah, yeah everything's falling into place now. But hell if I won't still drink and have a good night, yeah?" Dan called back from a table, pounding down a beer already.

Tyler wanted to join him but knew it would be pointless— it wasn't like he was gonna go drink with him.

Ranger seemed to be having a good time up on stage; his legs supporting him flawlessly as he spun around the pole slow and easy.

Looking around, Tyler didn't see Josh anywhere on the floor. It seemed like he always performed before that happened.

The idea of seeing Josh on stage again made Tyler excited.

But only Mark knew his true intentions for the night— maybe stop being so scared and hold more than just a few words with the guy.

Tyler fell into deep thought about what he'd say if he even got the chance.


	11. Chapter 11

As time progressed and people got more drunk, Tyler almost felt hopeless, like maybe Josh was only doing private shows or something tonight...

Which Tyler still wasn't interested in. Definitely.

It just felt too intimate too fast— well, it WAS a strip club, but Tyler already had thoughts in his mind of starting out a slowly built relationship with that kind of stuff coming much later.

Had he stayed up late at night picturing how they would start dating, grow as people, and move in with each other? Yes, Tyler reminisced on his dreams and hoped they wouldn't remain just concepts.

Despite previous denial, he was now sitting across from a very drunk Dan. They'd been there maybe an hour or so and he was completely gone. Probably the fact that he wasn't in a club that catered to his specific interests, but whatever.

Though he still seemed to be trying to buy a lap dance from a very confused guy.

"You want a lap dance?"

"Y-Yes..?" Dan mumbled out. "How much?"

"Dude, I don't work here. I'm wearing a fucking polo shirt for fucks sake,"

Tyler laughed, which brought Dan some sense.

"Oh shit, sorry man I'm super out of it. I don't even like guys! I mean, I do, but not like that."

The other guy snorted, then walked away rolling his eyes.

Mark, Shane, and John were all up by the stage still, drinking much slower than their straight companion.

Tyler felt somewhat abandoned, not having Mark to talk to. He was friends with everyone, sure, but not friendly enough to openly discuss his love live with.

Dan's already outrageously drunken state meant he would probably remember little of the night— and Tyler used this to vent.

"You know how you said you didn't think you'd ever see me here, at a strip club?" He asked Dan pretty rhetorically. Tyler didn't expect an answer and didn't receive one— well, unless a muffled grunt counted.

Tyler continued. "Yeah, me neither. But there's this guy here and Mark says he likes me. I mean, call me crazy for even trying, but I'm... Desperate." He confessed.

Dan seemed to be listening but his eyes were looking beyond Tyler. He nodded, and then shrugged in response.

"His name is Josh, and I can't stop thinking about him," Tyler mused. He was talking at a normal volume, which made him hard to hear over the music. No one was dancing now but the background beat was enough.

"You don't care Dan, even if you were sober, but—" Tyler paused. "You can't even hear me anyway, can you?"

There was no sign Dan was able to actually hear his coworker. Tyler sighed.

"You two getting slammed or what?" Mark loudly asked, approaching the table. They'd been hanging out with another group of guys a few tables away.

"Oh you know me, a total drunk." Tyler said sarcastically. He was a little tired from work and couldn't find the energy to respond anymore enthusiastically.

But it reminded him of their last visit— he was just as tired, after spending all day moping about his breakup—

His breakup.

Tyler rubbed his face slightly, eyes shutting as he came to a realization.

He'd practically forgotten his own breakup. He got dumped maybe 10 days ago yet it had slipped his mind entirely.

He'd been distracting himself with Josh, hadn't he...

Mark saw his friend's sudden shift in mood and placed a hand on his back, not saying anything out loud, but it felt questioning.

"I'm good," Tyler reassured, though his voice hitched on the second syllable and hoped Mark hadn't noticed.

He did, but didn't say anything about it. Tyler's focus moved around the room, looking for something to lock onto that wasn't a stripper or some other random person.

The floor, yeah, a classic.

Staring at the shitty carpet cushioning his feet, Tyler groaned. His brain had already made him latch onto another person so quickly— someone he didn't know, talked to once, and wasn't even sure if the feelings were reciprocated.

Shitty way to cope, he thought to himself. Though he wasn't completely mad, the fact that he had forgotten about something so traumatizing was pretty astounding.

But now he was remembering it and all his feelings were hitting him at once. Anger, sadness, jealousy, and betrayal.

Sadness seemed to shine through the rest and he cursed under his breath for starting to tear up. Was he really going to start crying in the club?

"Hey," Mark broke off his conversation with someone else and turned to Tyler. "Do you want to leave?"

Shit. Yeah, he did. But if he left, there would be no chance to see Josh again, the entire reason he walked in here in the first place.

"No." He responded flatly, dabbing away the tears starting to form at the corners of his eyes.

Taking a deep breath seemed to calm him down a little bit. Coping methods be damned— he began trying to think about Josh and nothing else. If it made him forget his breakup before, it could do it again.

Regardless, he still went up to go to the bathroom and get away from everyone, maybe take a moment and make sure it didn't look like he had been crying.

Well, it wasn't as serene as he had expected. In the last stall was what sounded like some bad foreplay, and Tyler did his best to try and ignore it while washing his face and hands.

Looking up at the mirror, he saw his face staring back at him. His eyes were barely red— he had only teared up a little anyway.

Though as he examined himself closely, another face joined alongside him.

And for the second time that day, Tyler was taken aback by the sudden appearance of Josh Dun.

Like a normal human being, yet again, he was just standing there!

Tyler didn't know where to look or what to do. He decided to at least say hi, that seemed inconspicuous enough—

But Josh beat him to the punch.

"Oh my gosh, Tyler!" He said almost giddily. He definitely remembered him. Tyler's heart skipped a beat or two and he suddenly couldn't find any words.

"Didn't think I'd see you back here so soon, but I'm glad," Josh said, one hand resting on the sink to hold himself up. He was shirtless, wearing nothing but tight black leather pants and a... Red snap-back.

"The hat?" He looked up at it, though not really being able to see it as it was backwards. "I don't know what it was, but people really seemed to like when I wore your hat last week. So I incorporated it into one of my outfits!"

Tyler nodded with a dopey smile. Josh was wearing a hat. Because of him. And he remembered that night.

Finally speaking, Tyler said the first thing he could think of.

"Well you do look good in it," He said, almost slyly.

Josh laughed. "Thanks! It's sick of you to stop by again, always nice seeing a regular. I'm going up on stage in a little bit, you won't wanna miss it." He teased.

"That's why I'm here!" Tyler replied. "I'm pretty much a pro now, you know, with clubs and everything." He joked. He didn't know where he was going with it, but tried holding a conversation as best he could.

Josh flashed a grin, obviously intrigued by Tyler. He moved in front of the mirror and pulled something out from under the sink.

"You from around here, Tyler?" Josh asked. Tyler found it hard to respond as his eyes were currently drawn to the curve of Josh's ass as he leaned over the sink closer to the mirror. He was expertly putting on eye shadow— red.

"Here? Uh— yeah, yeah." Tyler quickly looked back up at Josh's face. "Born just outside Columbus and lived here all my life."

"Same here," Josh said, moving the brush to do his other eyelid. "My family always has too, as long as I can remember."

Tyler nodded again, and Josh stood back up and started rooting under the counter again, pulling out a bottle of mascara.

"Weird how this place can feel like a small town sometimes, yet you never run into the same people more than once." Josh leaned over again and Tyler swore he was sticking his butt out on purpose.

"I know what you mean," Tyler responded. Was he referring to them seeing each other outside the club? Or just in general?

"Do you work around here too?" Josh held the conversation while carefully applying mascara.

"Yeah, just a mile or two away actually." Tyler started playing with his hair, twisting it between his fingers slowly. The noise in the last bathroom stall was growing at an uncomfortable pace— loud enough that they couldn't hear the conversation happening just a few feet outside.

It didn't phase Josh at all, who turned to look at Tyler with another sweet smile. It was so welcoming, even with the slightly disturbing sex noises happening in the background.

Looking back at himself in the mirror, Josh took his hat off briefly to tussle his dark brown curls a little. His nails were still red like last time, but more of a maroon color rather than bright.

"You with your friends again?" He asked Tyler nonchalantly. "They seemed really excited for you to be here, the last time."

Tyler's blush spread from his cheeks to the tops of his ears. Why was Josh so pretty? Even in the dim light of the bathroom, his nose ring shined and brought out the little freckles that littered his face, neck, and back. His eyes were friendly and gorgeous and looked so happy whenever he smiled.

Now Josh was turned towards him, waiting for an answer. Tyler found it hard to talk with his eyes stuck in Josh's.

"I'm with Mark again, if you remember him," He answered. "And uh... a few other guys from work."

"Cool, cool." Josh placed his hat back on his head, adjusting it slightly and moving towards Tyler. "I'll have to look out for you guys when I'm up on stage. Especially you, Ty."

He had leaned forward and whispered it gently, leaving Tyler feeling embarrassed as Josh's leather clad ass left the room.


	12. Chapter 12

Tyler had to splash his face with water again to make sure that just happened. No way, no damn way—

It was time to leave the bathroom. The two in the final stall seemed to be getting somewhere that Tyler didn't want to hear the end of.

But his own little run-in with Josh left him slightly aroused as well, yet also nervous for what would happen up on stage later.

His hands were running through his hair again almost instinctively. The lights seemed so much brighter out here than in the bathroom.

Somewhere down the bar, Tyler spotted Mark and John, drinking fairly casually.

"Hey dude!" Mark called out, beckoning him over. "Got a question."

A million things ran through Tyler's head in the split second before Mark continued.

"Can you tie a cherry stem with your tongue?"

A wave of relief passed over Tyler like never before. He let out the breath and sat on a stool next to his friends.

"Depends. How long is the stem?"

"That's what we've been debating," John looked down at his cup, mostly just ice now. The bartender came over to get him more.

"We were talking to Pete here, yeah—" Mark gestured to the guy running the bar. Stocky with fair skin, Pete wasn't the most attractive guy there, but he got people to keep coming back for drinks.

"So can Pete do it or not?" Tyler joked. His mind was still rushed with thoughts of Josh, but tried not to let it consume him just yet.

Pete winked and stuck his tongue out— a perfectly tied stem.

"See that's just unfair," John mused. "No way he did that. The stem was too short to even properly bend that way."

"What can I say, I've got a few tricks up my sleeve." Pete said with a shrug, moving back down the bar to help out other people. For as busy as the place was tonight, it still was on the smaller side and didn't need a lot of people working the bar.

Mark and John laughed, Tyler briefly smiling to join them.

"How was the bathroom?" Mark asked, sipping his drink. He didn't know what happened, right? The question was innocent enough.

"There were some dudes uh... Going at it in the last stall." Tyler replied.

"Really?" John laughed.

"Sounds exciting. Could have joined 'em." Mark laughed too.

"It was... Not pleasant sounding. I didn't really listen but there was some kind of foreplay with like, I don't know, weird... Kinky stuff." Tyler mumbled.

"Well apparently, 'cause they're doing it in a nasty bathroom." Mark shrugged, rooting around his drink suddenly and pulling out his cherry from the bottom.

"Here, prove yourself." He said while tossing the fruit to Tyler. He caught it and ate the cherry, popping the stem in his mouth to start working on it.

He'd done it before, but his focus was slipping still. He stared pretty numbly at the wall the whole while, taking an upwards of five minutes to even bend the stem at all. But in seven minutes he proved successful. No one really paid any attention to him, as they were caught up in their own conversations.

"Where's Shane and Dan?" Tyler eventually spoke up, taking the now tied cherry stem out of his mouth.

"Shane's been flirting with some dude, we let him have his time alone. Dan is still very drunk and someone else's problem as far as we're concerned." John replied.

"Hey look at you, I'd forgotten you were even doing that," Mark noticed the stem Tyler was holding.

"I used to be better at it," He mentioned, sounding a little downtrodden. He really didn't mean for it to come out so self depreciating.

"Nah, if you can still do it, that's what counts, yeah?" Mark said, patting Tyler on the back cheerfully.

Everyone continued drinking. Tyler got a water at one point and slowly sipped out of it. There was a feeling in his gut that grew with every passing minute. He knew it was Josh related, but why was he so worried?

Was it the fact that Josh had totally made a move on him?

Or that it might just all be in his head? He WAS flirting with a stripper after all.

Then there was another part of him that still believed Josh might not even be single. The fact that someone as sweet and attractive as him could go so long without being with another person...

The flirting could've purely been his way of getting more money from people. Oh gosh.

It could've just been how Josh was with everyone. Tyler wasn't special. He was pursuing something pointless, like always.

Loud music pulled him back to his senses.

The rush of another dancer walking out on stage was apparent, as people began cheering and migrating down towards the pole.

Mark and John were among them, and Tyler trailed behind. He was hopeful it would be Josh performing...

By some luck, the three of them had all gotten to be right up front. Speakers shook the floor as the lights dimmed completely, leaving everyone slightly dazed when they flashed back on, and there he was.

Daddy Dun had strutted out, in all his leathery glory. Though he'd switched out of the pants Tyler had seen him in before— he was now wearing a pair of overalls. Leather overalls.

Obviously pleased by the cheering, Josh pulled at one of the straps, showing a little nip. People seemed to enjoy this as they hollered at him and started throwing bills.

The wallet in Tyler's back pocket suddenly felt very needy, and he pulled it out. He had the one dollar bills from last week that Jon gave to him. They weighed heavy in his hand as he tossed a few out.

Josh noticed this. Slowly spinning on the pole, he moved around until he was right up front again.

There they were, making eye contact just like last weekend. But it felt extremely personal this time, Josh batting his eyelashes a little and swaying his hips.

It seemed like Mark noticed this as he excitedly shook Tyler back and forth, and was probably yelling something along the lines of "Oh my god!", but Tyler was zoned in and heard nothing other than his own heartbeat and the music's vibrations.

Josh bit his lip, looking away from Tyler and hooking an arm around the metal beam. He started pulling at the front of his overalls, fabric beginning to stretch. It was obviously tear away and everyone seemed to notice this quite enthusiastically.

Despite how loud everyone was being, Tyler felt like the only person in the room. Especially when Josh started to undo the buttons on his overalls, and rip them off in one fell swoop.

There was nothing left behind except pink lacy underwear. It wasn't a thong, but they didn't fit well enough to cover his ass entirely anyway.

Strong legs entranced Tyler and he was almost unaware of the money he was throwing out— it blended in with everyone else, who were just as fond of Josh as Tyler was.

They probably didn't know his name was Josh though, Tyler thought to himself. That was his secret only, and no one else's.

Josh's legs wrapped around the pole, his body falling into familiar patterns as he showed off for the crowd. His underwear was straining a lot from the girth it contained, but nobody planned on complaining.

Tyler had his eyes set more on Josh's back. The muscles were so defined, and Tyler wondered what they would feel like under his hands.

It made him a little hard thinking about it, added to the fact that Josh had a hat on because of him. HIM. Tyler Joseph himself.

And as timing would have it, Josh was off the pole and walking to the stage edge. He really seemed interested in Tyler again, making a point to stand directly in front of him when bending over.

His ass high in the air, he grabbed some cash off the ground and stuffed it teasingly into his underwear. He slowly leaned back up, making sure Tyler got the best view.

It had to have been deliberate flirting by this point, but Tyler was too distracted to care or even think any deeper at the moment.

But one brief action seemed to last for ages. Josh bent forward with his ass up again, but this time to lean down and take a dollar right out of Tyler's hand.

The money was tucked into his waistband with the rest, but it was a very slow movement of lowering his panties as much as he could without giving it all away.

Tyler had no shame at this point and though he concealed it, his boner was apparent and desperate.

Josh started to walk away, nearing the curtain. But as one last reply to the disappointed aww's filling the room, he pulled down the back of his underwear completely for just a second or two before letting it snap into place.

And as quickly as he entered, he was gone off stage again, leaving behind upset fans wishing he could stay just a minute or two longer.

Tyler was among them— but he felt almost outcast, as they were all glancing over at him dejectedly, like he'd done something wrong.

"Fuck off dude, do you know him or something?" A random guy shouted over to Tyler.

Did he? They were friends at this point at least, right? But that was entirely subjective, and—

"N-No, not— no." Tyler decided to answer.

"Well goddammit if he doesn't like you!" A different person joined in from the opposite side of the room.

Tyler suddenly felt like the center of attention. So it was totally noticeable that Josh had some kind of interest in him, even to other people who knew nothing about them.

His gut now felt more sick with nervousness than arousal, and he started making his way back to the bar where they had been before.

But Mark grabbed his shoulder, turning his friend around.

"Fuck, dude! Tell me that's not him showing off," He yelled. "He bent over legitimately like, directly in front of you! And then made a huge point of taking that dollar from you, holy shit. That's gotta be exciting, right?!"

It was exciting alright. But it was a mix of anxiety and horniness that wasn't really fun and sat heavy in Tyler's stomach.

"Everyone's looking at me like I did something wrong..." He mentioned, turning to Mark to avoid the many curious eyes.

"I wouldn't care at this point! He likes you, he likes you!" He smiled, chanting like an elementary school kid. "And hell if he wasn't undressing you with his eyes." Mark cooed.

"I'm wearing a button up shirt and jeans, what about that is remotely attractive in any way?"

"That's not the point, it's what's UNDER the clothes dude," Mark laughed. "He was looking at you more than anybody else, undoubtedly."

Okay, yeah he definitely was. And although Tyler still felt anxious about the prying people surrounding them, wanting to know who Tyler was to Daddy Dun, he managed to relax a little.

The concept of someone actually having an interest in him was... Well, it was a welcome feeling.

And it was a fucking stud that liked him, at that. Maybe it was a reach, but Tyler was pretty sure Josh was the hottest guy he'd ever seen in his life. Yes, including celebrities.

There he was lost in thought again. Mark steered him back to the bar, where they met up with John and a previously absent Shane.

"So everyone saw that Tyler's got an admirer, right?" Shane asked rhetorically. Nods traveled around their friend group.

He continued talking. "The guy I was chatting with, shit was he jealous. You might have a target on your back, having Daddy Dun crush on you like this."

Tyler hid his face with both hands, shielding everyone from the brightness of the grin growing on his face. He let himself enjoy the moment. The doubt and denial would come later at home when he couldn't fall asleep and ended up thinking too much.

John shook Tyler's shoulder the same way Mark had before. It was just a general gesture of pure excitement— like wow, that happened!

"The way he acted towards you, you would've thought you had given him a hundred dollar bill or something," John pointed out.

Well, maybe the existential crisis would come sooner than bedtime.

Tyler's grin was still present but slowly began to fade. Friends talked absentmindedly around him.

Josh could just be plotting for Tyler to blow a lot of money on him. Get his hopes up, throw out some $20 and $50 bills for him. It probably was, now that he considered it—

No, no. He shook his head slightly. They talked beforehand, and he wanted to get to know the real Tyler, and—

Okay, Tyler took a deep breath. Less thinking and more reminiscing over what just happened.

Out of the blue, he eagerly took a sip of beer from Mark's cup.

"Just felt right. Needed something in my stomach besides water." Tyler explained.

"I can imagine your stomach's been doing somersaults. No, more like... It's been back flipping out of an airplane." Mark joked.

"You're not wrong," Tyler said, coughing as the alcohol hit his throat. "I think I was more excited than I've ever been in the actual moment." He gestured vaguely to his crotch instead of actually saying the word.

"Gasp, you know what sex means?!" Mark chided sarcastically. "I never thought the day would come..."

"Well, I have an organ on my body that makes me hyper aware of anything even slightly sexual, so. Perks to having a dick, I suppose?"

Shane, who was in the middle of a different conversation with a random person, glanced back briefly to give him a weird look.

All at once it seemed to hit that they hadn't seen Dan in a while. Straight guy in a gay club under the influence... What could possibly go wrong?

Tyler, Mark, John, and Shane quickly scanned the floor to find him pretty much entirely out of it, lying lazily on one of many cheaply made couches.

Well, at least he was still in the building. Mark got up without a word to go over and check on him.

The night didn't last much longer than another hour, but for Tyler it felt like an eternity. Where was Josh?

His eyes scanned the room back and forth, looking for any sign of the curly haired brunette. But to no luck.

He wasn't complaining— he'd seen Josh plenty already— but expected to get to talk to him again. At least last time, he had come out later and walked around for a bit.

Tyler sighed. His hopes were too high. Their meeting in the bathroom was nothing but friendly chat and a stripper doing his job. He tried not to let it get to him, but it bothered him up until everyone started talking about heading home.

Designated driver, as always, Tyler led everyone out to the parking lot. John was on his phone however, getting an Uber for him, Shane, and Dan. He'd have to come back and get his car the next day.

Mark walked alongside Tyler, talking to him conversationally. He noticed his friend had been mostly quiet after the initial freak-out over Josh.

"What's up, you hungry? Wanna get some food?"

"Actually— yeah. But maybe just drive through, I wanna go home and sleep."

"Well, you're driving. So anywhere is fine with me." Mark waited by the passenger door, pulling the handle eagerly before it was unlocked.

"Yeah, you're gonna have to deal with my choices." Tyler lazily joked, finally unlocking the door and both of them getting in. Mark continued talking, which he seemed to do more frequently when drunk.

"When we first got here, I was so confused, you know? Like, why was Dan in the car with them? I was under the premonition that he was straight, but who am I for judging, you know?"

Tyler shrugged vaguely. His mind was full of a million thoughts, and didn't know whether to focus on the night's events or getting warm McDonalds French fries... And an Oreo McFlurry.

"Did you think that too Tyler?" Mark asked, voice loud and a little slurred.

"What? Oh, yeah. I did."

"You sure you're good? I mean, besides the hungry thing. You've barely said a word since Josh performed. Was it because he didn't walk the floor afterwards? I noticed that too."

Tyler started the car but didn't back out yet. He looked for the words in his mind, which felt lost and scrambled. He knew what he was trying to say but didn't know how to word it.

"Yes, I was upset by that. But it wasn't just—"

"I knew it, yeah. What a shame!" Mark cut him off.

"Mark, I— Well, I saw him before his show."

"What do you mean? He wasn't on the floor, was he? I didn't see him."

A long pause hung between them.

"I mean, we saw each other in the bathroom," Tyler said every syllable with purpose, knowing it took a few seconds for Mark to process things after drinking.

"What?!"

"When I went to the bathroom, remember?"

"Yeah?"

"He walked in, and we talked about— stuff. It felt really genuine and natural. He put on his makeup while talking to me, and— gosh he's even better looking up close."

"You WHAT?!" Mark gasped, exasperated. He sounded excited but his face was contorted into confused looks.

"He asked me who I was with— I mentioned you. And then... He whispered to me that— that he was gonna look for me when he performed."

"What the shit, Tyler?! And you didn't tell me until now?"

"What would have been different if I told you earlier?"

"I could've processed it better! I would have been less drunk!"

"Fair enough. But I was kind of still recovering from it and I don't think I could've talked about it."

"Guess that makes sense. Well, your side of the story at least. Something doesn't make sense with Josh."

"What do you mean?" Tyler glanced over at his friend, who was suddenly looking very alert.

"Why did he do his makeup in the bathroom?"

"What do you mean 'why'? Because there's a mirror in there. And he already had stuff stored under the sink."

"That's— that's not what I mean. The dancers have a back room, where they change and everything. They do their makeup back there in their own private area, not the bathroom that anybody can walk into."

Realization hit Tyler like a truck with no breaks.

"Oh my— Mark!" He shouted, grinning wildly. "That means—!"

"He went in there 'cause he wanted to see you!"

"He wouldn't have gone in there if he didn't have to!" Tyler grabbed Mark by the arm and squeezed enthusiastically. "He wanted to talk and— he must've seen me go in there, and—"

A combination of a giggle and yell came out of Tyler sounding more like a squeak than anything else.

Mark didn't know how to continue and just smiled supportively for his friend.

Tyler drummed happily on the steering wheel. "I'm now like, super pumped for this McDonalds. Aren't you?!"

His friend nodded, sighing and shaking his head a little like a dad would— with love.

As they pulled out of the parking lot, Tyler let his eyes linger on the neon sign adorning the side of the building. It's pink and blue hues highlighted the creases in his face from the smile he just couldn't shake.


	13. Chapter 13

Waking up the next morning was an interesting chain of events for Tyler.

Him and Mark had gotten home at maybe midnight— they'd forgone the drive through and decided to sit down and eat in the McDonalds.

So upon returning home, neither fully undressed and just landed tiredly in bed, on top of the covers.

But now that he was awake, Tyler grumpily wiggled out of his jeans, tossing them on the floor.

It wasn't until he'd already put toast in the toaster and poured a glass of orange juice when he checked his phone.

To at least 10 texts and one missed call, all from Brad. 30 minutes ago.

Whoops.

Had he forgotten they made plans? Yeah. He did.

Tyler quickly called his friend and started rummaging his mind for what they were supposed to be doing— a movie, right?

"Hey, sorry—"

"You're good, you're good. Saw Mark's Snapchat Story from last night, no surprise you woke up late."

"Wh— oh, yeah. Still sorry though."

"McDonalds at midnight? Can't get any classier," Brad sighed but it turned into a laugh. "That's the beauty of movies though. There's one at... 3 I think, if you wanna try for that instead."

Tyler glanced at the clock on the kitchen stove. Noon already?.

"Sure," He replied, looking eagerly at the toast that just popped up. "Sorry man, I can promise you I'll be there this time. Oh, you're probably already at the theater waiting, crap—"

"It's cool, I had stuff to do anyway. Don't worry about it." Brad shrugged it off, but that didn't mean Tyler no longer felt bad about it.

After saying goodbye and hanging up, he still took his time with breakfast. It wasn't too much of a rush yet.

He heard Mark groggily stomp out of his room, a hand to his head. He yawned when he saw Tyler at the table, his form of a hello.

"Weren't you supposed to—" He began.

"Don't tell me you, the one who got drunk last night, remembered that I had plans."

"Well, I remember talking about the movie with Brad the last time we saw each other," Mark pulled the toaster out again to use for himself.

"Everyone's a better friend than me, I swear," Tyler groaned, holding his glass of OJ solemnly. "And for the record, we're still going to a movie. Just... later today."

Mark snickered. "Nice. Glad things worked out." He opened the cabinet above the sink, grabbing a bottle of Advil.

"Shut up, don't mock me." Tyler warned jokingly. "I'll tell him about all the times you forgot some of our plans. Or your plans with him?"

"Hey, no need for that! Just have a good date with your pal, your bud. No need to bring me into it. Fun movie get together."

Tyler rolled his eyes and watched his friend down two pills and wait tiredly for the toaster to do its magic.

When it came time to actually get ready, Tyler just swapped out his shirt, put some deodorant on, and briefly messed with his hair to get it styled right.

Before he made his way out the door, he grabbed the pair of pants he wore the night before, lazily putting them and his shoes on, then waved bye to Mark.

He wasn't even that sure what movie they were seeing. Was that bad? Tyler blamed it on the busy night before, no wonder his brain slipped up with everything else he'd been thinking about.

Brad's cheery grin greeted him in the movie theater lobby.

"I went ahead and bought you a ticket."

"Did you really?"

And Brad handed Tyler a ticket.

"Yeah, you know, why not?"

Tyler scoffed. "I'm still gonna pay you for this. You shouldn't have, I was the late one."

And as they went into the theater, Tyler put the ticket away in his pocket.

But that was when a long winded chain of events brought Tyler to an interesting conclusion.

Hand still in pocket, his fingers brushed a piece of paper. Odd, seeing as he didn't remember every putting anything in there the previous night.

It felt almost like finding a piece of treasure. He fell behind Brad a little as he rooted his hand around, finally getting a grasp on whatever it was.

A neatly folded sticky note. The sticky part was folded inward, but the signature yellow made it distinguishable.

Something in his gut knew exactly what he was about to look at, but it still didn't prepare him as he carefully pulled it apart.

Standing in the middle of the hallway obtrusively, Tyler didn't notice the people giving him looks as they passed.

And in sharp, bold handwriting with bright red ink were words Tyler only ever dreamed about:

**Call me — Josh :)  
xxx-xxx-xxxx**

"Hey, what's up Tyler?" Brad called out to him, as they had parted ways slightly.

"N-Nothing," Tyler responded, bending the paper back along its fold lines. "Just found something in my pocket."

It could have been the best movie ever, and Tyler wouldn't have been able to pay attention. The whole 2 hours he felt that sticky note in his pocket; it seemed to almost weigh him down.

Josh had given Tyler his number. Not only that, he'd slipped it to him! It was more impressive that it was skinny jeans, with impossibly tight pockets.

It had to have been when Josh leaned forward and whispered to him, Tyler thought to himself during an action scene. That was the only moment they were close enough. But the fact that he hadn't felt a single thing?

Something about the reverse pick-pocketing made Tyler excited. Josh was so good at it! Maybe he was distracting enough that not a single movement could be felt...

Whatever it was, it drove Tyler crazy waiting to get out of the theater. He could text Josh. They could learn more about each other, and talk about their thoughts and feelings.

When credits rolled, Tyler was already up, hand tight around the folded note in his front right pocket.

"Ready to leave so soon?" Brad asked, standing up to not be left behind. "That was great, wasn't it?"

"I'm not huge on action movies but— yeah, wasn't too bad." Tyler answered. He paid attention at a few parts but not enough to get the whole story. His mind was still on a constant loop of saying 'Josh'. Hell, he hadn't even properly read the guy's number— just the first line was enough.

"I wouldn't really say that was much of an action movie... It was more drama than anything, in my opinion."

"It's up to interpretation," Tyler replied dismissively. He let Brad leave first, but they had left the theater before the credits barely began.

They walked out together in silence, Tyler too preoccupied to say anything and Brad unsure of what to talk about.

Before they parted ways though, he thought of something.

"Everything alright?" He asked carefully. They were standing on the curb, near Brad's truck. Tyler's car was parked a little further away. "Anything you want to talk about?"

He figured this had to do with Tyler's breakup. By extension he wasn't wrong, but at the moment it was a positive thing keeping Tyler nervous.

"Actually, yeah." Tyler spoke up. "It's nothing bad, but I should probably explain myself and apologize."

"Of course, I'm all ears. And you don't have to apologize."

"Well, it's just that I got a guy's number and I've been excited to talk to him," He confessed, smiling. "And I'm sorry for barely speaking to you today, I couldn't stop thinking about him."

"Aw, that's okay." Brad said genuinely. He didn't know what to think about Tyler already finding another love interest so soon after leaving the last, but obviously said nothing about it.

"No, it's not. I left you in the dust more than once today and I feel like a jerk. I'll make it up to you, we can get lunch or something and I'll pay—"

"Dude, don't sweat it, you're good. I know what that's like, so I'm not blaming you for being eager. Go text him!" Brad squeezed Tyler's shoulder reassuringly.

"Regardless, I'm sorry," Tyler sighed, fingers still fiddling with the paper. Though he was serious about feeling bad, he was forever grateful Brad was so forgiving. He was ready to get out of there and glue himself to his phone.

So with a quick wave, the two of them split ways.

And now Tyler was sitting in his car, looking at the sticky note again.

He hadn't really read it before, so he now clearly saw Josh's number for the first time. The last four digits had been scribbled out once and replaced. Maybe he was thinking of someone else's number?

He had a 614 area code, just like Tyler and pretty much everyone else who lived in the Columbus area. Something about that was exciting, the fact that they lived so close to each other.

Phone resting in both hands, Tyler had the sticky note stuck to his steering wheel. What was he supposed to say? 'Hey Josh I have a crush on you, do you like me back? From, Tyler' seemed too upfront.

He settled on something simple, yet a conversation starter.

> _Hey Josh, it's Tyler. Sorry I didn't find your number sooner, your sticky note was pretty well hidden. It probably would've gone into the wash if I hadn't checked my pockets when I did_

He didn't expect a response, Josh was probably busy, so when the three typing dots popped up, Tyler nearly had a heart attack.

> **No way, haha! Well I'm glad you found it, that ink would've been impossible to read if it got the washing machine treatment**

Tyler laughed after an extremely relieved sigh. It was a normal, friendly text conversation. Nothing to worry about.

But then Josh started typing again.

> **I wanted to talk more but was too nervous to just straight up hand you my number. Hope the fact that I slipped it into your pocket wasn't too creepy** 😫

Aw, he used Emojis.

Well, most people did, Tyler reconsidered. But because it was Josh, it was cute.

> _It's fine, I probably would've done the same!_

Tyler noticed the smile on his face was back, seemingly uncontrollable. It was Josh! He was actually talking to him!

He knew he couldn't sit in the movie theater parking lot forever, but he couldn't stop waiting for a reply.

When it seemed like he wouldn't be getting a response for a while, he decided to start heading home. He carefully took the sticky note off the steering wheel and folded it back up, putting it in his pocket for safe keeping.

He had already made a contact, and put his name as just 'Josh'. Though he was tempted at the idea of adding a heart.

He was almost impatient as he drove, wanting to check his phone in case he missed a notification. But he didn't look once until he got back to the apartment, eagerly pressing the home button as he climbed up the stairs, skipping every other step.

Nothing yet. But once he opened his door and fell down onto the couch, he unlocked his phone to look at their previous messages— and Josh HAD replied? It must've sent right before Tyler locked his phone. He looked excitedly at the new text.

> **I didn't get to say it before, but I wanted to tell you I liked your tattoos. They're cool and kinda mysterious. But in a good way**

Tyler giggled. He liked his tattoos?!

Mark was sitting in the arm chair adjacent to the couch, which Tyler was currently oblivious of. He was too buried in his phone to even notice another person in the room.

"What's going on over there? How was the movie?" His roommate asked.

But Tyler was trying to think of a response. He was never great at answering compliments.

> _Thanks! They're really personal, so I like making them kind of thought provoking. Up to interpretation I suppose_

> **That's awesome. I've always wanted a tattoo**

> **I have plans for some actually**

> **But it's kinda scary**

> **I've never liked needles**

Tyler nodded to no one. Mark continued to give him quizzical looks.

> _Me neither. But after the first few it's not too bad, it's just kind of like a pinch. You don't feel the actual needle if you don't focus on it_

> **It's just that the ones I want are kinda intricate? Like more than your simple ones**

> **And no offense!! I like them a lot, I just mean simple as in they're only black**

> _That's okay, I know what you mean. What are some of the ideas you have? I know a guy who's really good at landscapes and those kinds of things_

> **Oh really? Awesome, cause the first one I want is a tree**

> **Nothing super fancy but it has a meaning to it**

> **Like yours do!**

Tyler continued happily tapping away at his phone. But eventually Mark was done being curious and got up to go look at whatever his friend was smiling about.

"Who are you texting? Does— does that say Josh?!"

"Yep!"

"When did you get his number? Was this during the whole bathroom thing?"

Tyler shrugged. "Kinda. He actually slipped his number into my pocket."

"What?! Dude, that's really smooth of him."

"I know! Isn't it exciting?!"

Mark coughed. "Yeah, seems like it. What are you two talking about to get you so smiley?"

"Just tattoos. He said he liked mine!"

Just then, a picture appeared on Tyler's screen. It was a rough design of a tree.

> **Something like this**

> **But with actual color**

> _I really like that! Did you draw it? It's super detailed_

> **You think? I'm gonna have someone with more artistic talent clean it up and stuff**

> **But I wanna eventually incorporate it into a whole sleeve kinda thing**

> _For someone who's not a fan of needles, you seem to have big tattoo plans_

> **Yeah, I just gotta toughen up a little, that's all**

> **Did you get your tattoos all done by the same guy? At the same time, or were they separate?**

> _I got the one on the inside of my upper right arm first, it's Roman numerals for a bible verse_

> _A pretty simple idea but important to me_

> **That's awesome. The tree is supposed to represent my values as well**

> _My arm bands are the same thing. I just really like the idea of something having a purpose no one else gets_

> **It's definitely different, and unique. In my job you see so many tattoos that you just can't help but laugh at**

> **Well I try not to laugh in their face cause it's something that's gonna be on their body forever**

> **But just ridiculously inappropriate things that aren't gonna be funny anymore in 10 years**

> **Who am I to judge though**

> **You see a lot of weird crap in a club**

There was something intriguing Tyler as Josh talked about his job so nonchalantly. Maybe it was that fact that Tyler used to stigmatize the idea of strippers so much, yet here he was, now apparently friends with one. He'd definitely changed his ways.

> **Did you ever meet Jamez?**

Tyler paused. Yeah, that was one of the first guys who tried to give him a lap dance... Right? His clubbing memories were pretty fuzzy, except the Josh-related moments of course.

> _I think so_

> _Shorter, messy blond hair?_

> **Yeah!**

> **He doesn't hide it that well obviously since he's a stage dancer**

> **But he's got this tramp stamp**

> **I swear it's the ugliest thing I've ever seen**

> **Great guy don't get me wrong**

> **But it's a tattoo of— get this**

> **An ACTUAL whale tail**

Though somewhat embarrassed, Tyler found himself on Urban Dictionary looking up the definition of whale tail, and— ohh.

> _No way haha_

> _The dude's committed_

> **Tell me about it**

> **Hey I know they're supposed to be secret but I gotta know**

> **What's the tattoo on your right arm? On the inside, it was kind of blocky**

> **Don't you have one with three or four characters on your right wrist too?**

The fact that Josh had paid enough attention to remember where his tattoos were was making Tyler laugh giddily.

> _The one on the inside says 'carpe noctem' in negative space_

> _On the outside of my arm though is a mystery, I like to not say much about that one_

> **Fair enough**

> **I like tattoos with a lot of meaning**

> **But then again I'm sure even tiny tattoos have a story behind them**

> _Exactly_

> _They're pretty cool_

> _So just let me know if you want to talk to the guy I know, he's really good at designing stuff_

> **Okay, thanks!**

And suddenly the conversation hit a standstill. Now what? They were done talking about tattoos it seemed. But Josh started typing again.

> **I have to get ready for work but talk to you later** 😊 

Like that, he was gone. Tyler set his phone down and collapsed backwards into the couch. They just had a real discussion about something, actually talking and sharing ideas. And Josh wanted to talk to him AGAIN.

But now he was working, and probably wouldn't be back until really early in the morning. Tyler tried distracting himself with whatever he could— TV, video games... but it barely worked; he just kept thinking about what it'd be like to do those things with Josh.


	14. Chapter 14

"You've grown up so much in the last week," Mark joked as he joined Tyler on the couch. It was almost midnight. "I got you to a strip club, you started dating one of the strippers—"

"Hey! We aren't dating... Yet."

"Exactly. This is the same guy that flirted with you during your first interaction." Mark pointed out, alluding back to when Josh took Tyler's hat and blew a kiss at him.

"Yeah... But that doesn't mean he likes me. Just doing his job."

"Don't be so pessimistic, he gave you his number! What ever happened to that? Did he stop answering?"

Tyler shrugged, eyes glued to the TV still. Donkey Kong Country wasn't going to beat itself for the hundredth time.

"He's working," He replied simply. "Probably won't be back until after like 2 or 3. I don't know."

"And here you are waiting for him. True love, in my opinion."

"I'm just not speaking too soon. I don't want to assume anything. Friends first."

Mark gave an understanding look. "Sure, sure. Just let me know when things go down."

"That's implying we become something." Tyler had his legs tucked up onto the couch, glancing over at his friend with doubtful eyes. The SNES controller was gripped tightly in his hands.

"I have faith in you dude. Seriously, if you like him, don't let him get away."

Neither of them had anymore to say, but Tyler was appreciative of Mark's words. Though it still didn't make him anymore optimistic about his love life.

And trying to stay awake proved a harder task than expected. Though he easily traversed through levels, he found his eyelids slowly getting droopy and the screen starting to blur.

Eventually he succumbed to his tiredness and passed out on the couch, curled up into a ball.

His dreams all vaguely involved Josh, like they did now most of the time, though none particularly stuck out in his mind. But in the eight or so hours he slept, he missed interactions with Josh in the real world.

He woke up to a few texts. One from Mark, the most recent one, saying he was going out with friends.

The other three notifications on his home screen were all from Josh. One of them was a picture- and Tyler quickly unlocked his phone to see what it was.

It looked like he was laying on the floor. A lazy selfie, you couldn't really see Josh's face at all. He was covering it with his arm. But a pair of soft lips was still visible that made Tyler pause and thank God for letting this picture grace his phone screen.

The accompanying texts were just as sweet. Sent at 2, nearly 3am, Josh's messages felt so personable and genuine.

> **I'm off work, and oh my gosh you won't believe what happened tonight**

> **Oh sorry Tyler, I forget that most people aren't awake at this time of the night! Talk to you when you wake up** 😝

The two were sent ten or so minutes apart, Tyler noticed, which made him smile thinking that Josh waited for his reply.

Looking at the messages, Tyler rubbed his sleepy eyes. This was still happening. Josh still wanted to talk to him.

> _What happened? And it's okay, don't worry about it_

Tyler waited the same way Josh did, but no response came after 10 minutes. Well, he probably slept in later than most since he worked up past midnight.

Another lazy breakfast, Waffle Crisp this time, Tyler sat at the table by himself. He held his head up with one arm, elbow supporting the weight, while his other arm was being used to scoop up cereal.

He didn't have anything planned for the day, so distractedly scrolled through his phone. He had a Twitter but barely Tweeted anything— it was more to just keep up with other people.

And anyway, he was just waiting for Josh to wake up so they could talk more.

Mark was sending him Snapchats from wherever he'd gone (Tyler later learned it was a place like Dave and Buster's— which baffled him why Mark would go out drinking this early in the morning).

Checking everyone else's Snapchat stories was as uneventful as usual, some people hanging out with families or taking pictures of random dogs.

Though boring, the dual wielding of social media made an hour and a half go by pretty quickly. And then he finally got a response from Josh.

> **Hey I'm back! So anyway**

> **We usually get weird people in here, I mean that's kind of expected**

> **And even though it's a gay strip club, lots of straight girls come in too with all their friends**

> **Most of the time they're pretty well behaved so we can't kick them out or anything**

> **But this one group came in and kept trying to grope everyone like it was open season or something**

> **We allow some touching if it's during a lap dance or private show but they were just slapping asses left and right, grabbing random people**

> **One of the security guys we have here warned them several times**

> **But that didn't stop them**

> **They actually had to physically remove them**

> _Holy crap dude_

> **It's really rare that actually has to happen, usually it's drunk old guys**

> **But it's kind of rewarding seeing them being dragged out you know?**

Tyler laughed. Though cruel, it did seem like it would feel pretty empowering to have obnoxious people taken out.

It still made him nervous to text Josh, especially now that they were talking about the very place they met.

And Tyler started overthinking a little bit. Did Josh see right through everything he had said those nights at the strip club? It was pretty apparent Tyler thought he was attractive...

But he reassured himself once again with the classic 'it's his job' ideology. Josh was supposed to go on stage and look pretty, and flirt with the patrons. So he was talking to Tyler as a friend more than anything. Of course.

It had to have been weird. Tyler couldn't put himself in those shoes, to even imagine what it would be like with that job. More of the interacting rather than the actual dancing, but to act so loving towards dozens of strangers every night.

So Tyler tried to treat him only as a friend. It probably wasn't often he befriended the same people that ogled at him up on stage.

> _That's crazy_

> _Do they really yank them out and stuff_

> **Yeah it's kinda violent in all honesty**

> **Like they're not trying to hurt them but they have no choice at this point**

> **It's especially funny cause I'm pretty good friends with our main security guy**

> **It's also great because when people get taken out everyone else in there cheers it's pretty funny**

> _I can imagine_

> _Are you alright?_

Tyler reassured himself that it was normal to ask that, he was just being courteous and checking. A good friend would do that.

> **Oh yeah don't worry about me**

> **That kind of stuff happens**

> **Where do you work?**

Josh's curiosity about his life made Tyler smile.

> _Do you know the radio station downtown? I'm kind of in the IT department and fix soundboards and microphones and that kind of thing_

> **Oh really? That's so cool!**

> **I know a guy who works there actually**

> **Old buddy of mine**

> _What's his name?_

> **Jesse**

> **His last name is Cale, if that helps**

> _Oh I know him! Yeah he's pretty cool, but we don't talk that much because he's in a different department_

> **Small world though**

> **You ever been on the radio?**

> _Maybe once a year or two ago_

> _I read an advertisement I think_

> **You have a nice voice**

> **You should be a host or something**

> _You think? Tell that to my boss_

Tyler replied nonchalantly but the compliment made him even more giddy. Josh liked his tattoos, his voice...

> **Seriously dude I know we only briefly talked but it just sounds like a radio voice**

> **Not an annoying one though**

> **Not those guys that yell everything they say and make cheesy jokes**

> _I've never seen the appeal to those kinds of DJs. They're just so obnoxious— Then again, they're the ones with the jobs so who am I to judge_

> **Me either. I usually only listen to music on Spotify because it's more things I like and less random guys yelling into my ear**

> **I can put up with the few ads**

> _Yeah music streaming is great but it's putting radio out of business_

> **Makes sense**

> **Just like newspapers with online news**

> **And post offices with email**

> _Times are weird_

> _Would it be bold of me to assume you're a 90s kid too?_

> **Nah, technically I was born in the 80s but turned 2 in 1990**

> **So I really grew up during that time**

> _You were born in 88? Me too_

> _But my birthday is December so just barely made it_

> **I'm June so that's like a 6 or 7 month difference right**

> _Yeah_

> _Same age and lived in the same area_

> _Did we ever go to school together?_

> **I was thinking about that**

> **I feel like I would at least remember your name**

> _I was homeschooled until about 4th grade_

> _Our neighborhoods might've been just far enough away_

> **Probably**

> **And I don't remember how birthdays work for grades but I might have been a year ahead of you**

> **Cause of cut offs or whatever**

> _Yeah true_

> _Maybe we played your school in sports though_

> **I wouldn't doubt it**

> **I played baseball for a few years**

> **And I tried basketball once but I hated it**

> _Well then we wouldn't have played basketball together lol_

> _Our family's huge on it I played every year since I started public school, and my siblings too_

> _Plus training camps and stuff like that_

> **No shit? Yeah I just never was a fan of it personally**

> **I wasn't good at it and couldn't get any better**

> **I mean I wasn't great at baseball either but I at least understood it a little**

> _My one brother played baseball for a few years_

> _Well it was probably called teeball he was like 5_

> **Yeah teeball is both extremely boring yet also interesting**

> **My sisters played it and I had to go to all their games**

> **They didn't know how anything worked so it was amusing watching them try and get to the bases or even hit a ball directly in front of their face**

> **I played it too but in the moment you don't realize how little you actually know about it haha**

> _That was me with football_

> _I tried it once in middle school, had no idea what was going on_

> _But our parents encouraged us like we were doing everything right_

> **I feel that** 😂

> **I took to other things in high school, after I quit baseball**

> **Mostly music**

****

> _Yeah?_

> **I was never in band or anything but I've always liked drumming**

> _Oddly enough I have a similar story?_

> _Not with drums but_

> _After basketball practice I'd go home and just play piano_

> _I'm not some Mozart or anything but it's fun_

> **Exactly!**

> **I'm not really a musician but it's enjoyable anyway**

> _Yeah_

> _I wanted to go to college for a degree in music theory or something_

> _Ended up with one in creative writing but_

__

> **Oh really? Do you write a lot of stories?**

> _Not really, I kind of dabbled in poetry and it just seemed like an easy one to get_

> _I barely even show anyone what I write it's usually private_

> **That's still cool**

> **I want to go to college but I don't know what to study**

> **Guess time will tell maybe**

> _Yeah don't let it pressure you_

> _I changed my mind a hundred times while I was there_

> _It's not something you should have set years in advance_

> **Thanks, that makes me feel better**

> **I don't know how much longer I'll have this job but I wanna go to school afterwards**

> **It's just so expensive I don't know if it's even worth it**

> _It's hard to say_

> _I've been broke since I graduated and that was a few years ago_

> _It's definitely an expensive venture_

> _I can't really say if it's worth it either way, like it could be worth it but at the same time, who knows?_

> **Yeah**

> **I guess I'll see where I'm at in a year or two and go from there**

> **I know this is a little dramatic but I have no idea what I'm gonna do with my life after this job is over**

> **I have no other plans, which seems like some exciting teen movie plot, the guy who lives in the moment**

> **But it'd be nice to have some sort of game plan**

> _I know what you mean_

> _I can't be certain anything will happen but I can say that opportunities will start to show up just when you think you're out of options_

> _We were about to finish college, me and my friend Mark, no actual jobs in plan. I was still living off my parent's money_

> _Then he finds the radio station, and here were are now_

> _Life's exciting in the worst of ways. It likes making us think we're completely screwed, then suddenly decides to help us out_

> **You're right**

> **Thanks Tyler**

> **Hey I'm not doing anything today, wanna get a late lunch or something? It's fun talking to you**

Tyler inhaled sharply. Was this a date? Already? No, it was just a friend thing. Later today?!

His phone felt heavy in his hand. Duh, he wanted to get lunch. He wasn't doing anything either. But the fact that Josh actually had such interest in him gave Tyler butterflies.

> _Sure! Where do you wanna go?_

> **Uhh, don't think I'm weird but I'm in a mood for Taco Bell right now, like really bad**

"Oh my gosh," Tyler said aloud, voice cracking slightly. This was too good to be true. They even had the same taste in fast food cuisine.

> _That sounds perfect actually, I can always go for a taco_

> **Okay sick**

> **See usually when I offer Taco Bell everyone's like 'really?!'**

> **Why even ask me where I wanna get food if you're just gonna judge me for it smh**

> _I swear the same thing happens to me. Why even ask at that point you know what I'm gonna suggest_

> **Exactly. I'm gonna go take a shower but wanna go to the one on Main? At like 2:00 or something? Any time is good for me**

> _Sure, 2:00 is good_

And then Tyler was left alone again. So, he had a date with Josh, whether it be a friend date or not, it still was classified as 'date'. Which made him excited.

He still had a little while until he had to get ready, but nevertheless started going through his closet looking for something. Today, in just a few hours, he'd be seeing Josh again.

Tyler smiled mindlessly as he looked through his clothes.


	15. Chapter 15

Tyler was thankful Mark got a ride, rather than take their car. Now he was sitting in the Taco Bell parking lot, waiting for a text from Josh. He was trying to keep his cool but couldn't help the growing excitement he felt.

Offhandedly, he texted Mark telling him where the car was and what he was doing. Barely five seconds after sending the message, Mark's contact picture suddenly filled Tyler's phone screen as he got a call from him.

"A date?! Tyler, what the hell," Mark yelled, trying to be louder than the background noise where he was— lively conversation and the sound of arcade machines.

"It's not really a date, we're just hanging out," Tyler explained, glancing out the car windows as he talked. Josh could be there any minute.

"Yeah, but still! He likes you dude, you gotta admit that much." Mark said with a sense of knowing.

Tyler sighed. "Yeah, whatever. We're just friends, okay? Nothing more than that."

"Yet!" Mark called out before abruptly hanging up.

Now Tyler was once again left alone with the droning radio.

Okay, deep breaths. It wasn't anything out of the ordinary to go get food with a friend. The fact that this particular friend was extremely attractive was besides the point.

They'd known each other for two weeks. Was it going too fast? Tyler was never good at gauging friendships. With Mark it was different— he'd known him for forever so it seemed like there was never a time without him.

Work friends were different. They all met by extension of Mark, so Tyler was friendly with them— but by no means were they best friends.

He didn't call himself lonely, but Tyler didn't have many core friends besides Mark. Just distant friendships where you could hang out with them if you wanted, but only if the common friend is there.

Though he considered his relationships with Brad and Jon— probably above work friends, just below Mark. He could see them by himself if he wanted to.

But Tyler, even at one point, met them through Mark. It seemed like he would be out of luck on knowing how quickly friendships were supposed to grow. He'd met Josh on his own, and apparently had no prior education on the subject matter.

Too busy drowning in his thoughts, he almost missed the car pull in a few spots away from him. It was either Josh, or someone with a car identical to the one Tyler saw the other night at the strip club.

Something in his gut told him to just leave, pretend he suddenly got sick and couldn't hang out, no way this was actually going to happen—

Tyler's phone buzzed, and his eyes bore into the glowing pixels.

> **No rush, but just got here 😊 I'm gonna go in and order**

Oh... Was Tyler supposed to have already gone in? Now that he thought about it, why did he wait in the car? That was weird, wasn't it?

Overthinking, Tyler had to pause for a moment to collect his thoughts before replying.

> _Oh cool same, I'll be in soon_

Tyler watched the other man leave his car and start walking in. He was wearing a bright red t-shirt and black ripped skinny jeans. It was so simple but it enamored Tyler anyway.

Before he started rethinking everything even more, Tyler got out and walked in. Once again (although still just as nerve wracking), Josh was standing there right there in front of him.

"Hey!" He greeted, smiling. Although he was about the same height as Tyler, his shoes managed to bump him up a few inches. It was enough for them both to subconsciously notice.

Tyler smiled back, eyes locking with Josh's and suddenly seeing every detail of his face. The nose ring, the neat eyebrows, the mascara he had on, and those little freckles Tyler couldn't help but stare at.

"I know this is kind of trashy," Josh laughed. "Meeting at a fast food place. Hope you don't mind."

"Dude, I pretty much live here. If you hadn't invited me I probably would've come on my own anyway." Tyler joked, shrugging. He started to feel self aware of their eye contact, and even though he didn't want to look away from those gorgeous brown eyes, he started looking at the menu instead. Were you supposed to make eye contact during conversations? He wasn't sure anymore.

"What do you usually get?" Tyler continued, talking casually. "I have a few orders that I stick with most of the time, you know what I mean?"

Josh nodded. He was currently looking at his phone, tapping out a message to someone, but continued talking while doing so.

"Oh yeah, I'm kind of stuck in my ways,"He nonchalantly put his phone away, finished for now with whoever he'd been texting. "Sometimes I never order stuff I haven't had before. The thing is, I'm not even picky, I just like the routine of eating the same thing."

"Makes perfect sense," Tyler agreed. "I always get the same drink here. Can't go wrong with getting something you know you like."

Josh smiled in agreement, and without a word the two of them went up to order separately.

In the few minutes they waited, Josh made sure to not let it get too awkward. Somehow he was able to start calm conversations that helped avoid silences between them.

"I was gonna work here, at one point," He brought up. Tyler looked at him in curiosity.

"I mean, I sent in a résumé at least." Josh explained. "I don't think I was up to the challenge of working here anyway, I suck at doing anything involving food. It was during high school at least, so it wasn't a big deal."

Tyler laughed. "This specific Taco Bell?"

"Yes, actually," Josh said while looking around. "It was the one closest to my house when I lived on this side of town. I'm now like 15 minutes away, as opposed to 5 or so."

"That's funny. I tried to work at GameStop in high school." Tyler paused. "Well, I DID work there. But the management was terrible," He sighed. "Pretty sure I was making less than minimum wage. Wasn't worth it in the end; quit a month or two afterwards."

"Let me guess... You knew a lot about video games, so figured the rest would work out regardless?" Josh asked with a smirk that Tyler couldn't help but find attractive.

"I would consider myself fairly knowledgeable about video games, yes. Nintendo and Xbox mostly."

While still holding the conversation, the two of them got their food and found a booth to sit at.

"I play Xbox too," Josh said. "Not a lot of Nintendo, but I had a Gameboy and everything as a kid."

"Most of my favorite games are Nintendo. Smash Bros, Mario Kart, Donkey Kong..." Tyler listed. "But back in high school I also loved my fair share of Call of Duty on Xbox— Modern Warfare was the best game as a kid. Had to hide it from my mom though."

"Same page," Josh said after taking a sip of his drink. "I didn't play a lot of shooters, but I had one or two. Kept those in the back of the cabinet so my parents wouldn't find them."

"I've been super into Rocket League lately. Ever played it?" Tyler asked, taking a bite of his food.

"No, no I don't think so... Isn't it just soccer but with cars?"

"Yes! It's so much fun, we should play it sometime." Tyler offered. "And besides, I need more people to play Smash with. Mark's never liked it, and he's tired of having to play with me all the time. You ever play Smash Bros?"

Josh shrugged. "Few times. Not to brag, but I was pretty great at it. Played occasionally with some friends back in school."

"Just wait, you may be good, but could be nothing up against my gaming prowess," Tyler scoffed sarcastically. "No, but that'd be fun. What's your gamer tag? I can add you."

Josh wiped his hands off on a napkin. "Xbox? Oh, let me think... I'm pretty sure it's just 'Joshua_D' or something similar. I don't play online a lot."

"Yeah, me either. I mean, for the most part. Mine's 'Tylerr3'." He replied, finishing his drink. "I only have a few old high school friends on my friends list... I don't know when we crossed the threshold, but at some point everyone just decided to stop playing."

"I know what you mean!" Josh exclaimed. "It feels like nobody plays video games anymore. Who gives a shit if we're grown up, games are fun!"

Tyler laughed abruptly, covering his mouth as he did— he was embarrassed by how loud he'd been. "That's— that's exactly my logic. Glad someone else agrees."

"Some of the guys I work with, we have a game night every once in a while," Josh said while sliding down slightly in the booth. He was pretty much done with his food and now just talking.

"What kind of games?"

"Mostly FPS stuff, like Counterstrike, but sometimes games like Mario Party too. There's never a specific genre," Josh shrugged. "One of my friends always insists we play horror games. Never been into them though, I'll admit I'm pretty easily scared."

"I am too, but it's fun." Tyler paused. "Exciting, at least."

"I get the appeal to scary games but like I said, I just can't enjoy them." Josh sighed.

"Fair enough."

There they sat, both faintly smiling. Even though everyone else around them was noisy, it felt almost like they were there by themselves.

"What about your other hobbies?" Tyler spoke up.

"Oh? Well, drumming, but I'm not doing anything with it. Just kind of practicing in my spare time."

"That's still cool."

"You play piano, right?"

Tyler nodded. "Yeah, yeah. I just have a little electronic keyboard at my apartment. But growing up I had a really nice classical piano to play on."

"You any good? Since you work at the radio station, you've probably got some connection, yeah?"

"I'm not bad. I've always wanted to write music but don't know how to start."

Josh leaned forward, arms crossed and resting on the table. "There's no start, you just kinda go with it. I'm not some experienced pro, but you shouldn't try and follow a specific path. Just go with it."

"Yeah? Thanks, that's reassuring actually. It always feels like I have to go on one particular route."

"I can assure you, you don't have to. I've got a few musician friends, and I hear a lot about how they became what they are. And it wasn't by copying a successful person."

"Thanks," Tyler almost mumbled. He was thankful, but not used to supportive advice. He looked distractedly at the buttons on his shirt.

"You know, I like being able to see your tattoos again more clearly." Josh mentioned innocently, but it drove Tyler nuts that he was still so interested in him.

"Especially the one on your wrist," Josh motioned. "Didn't realize it broke off into a different design there— is it a cross?"

"Uh— yeah, yes." Tyler looked at his own wrist like he'd forgotten. "Are you still planning to get a tattoo?"

"Yeah! I meant to ask you for that guy's number, who you said could help my design a little."

"Oh yeah! I can text you it," Tyler said while pulling out his phone. Josh got his out too, which Tyler just noticed was rose gold in color. Something about pink complimented Josh so well.

"Thanks. I actually have a pretty good idea for a sleeve now that I want a more artistic person to spruce up. You know the tree design that I sent you?"

Tyler nodded.

"Well, I'm keeping that, but it's gonna be surrounded by things like a galaxy, and a sunset, and stuff like that. It's just a rough idea but I'm gonna try and get somewhere with it."

"That's really cool. You'll have to show me it when you've gotten the final draft."

"I definitely will. I just like the idea of being able to alter your appearance however you want," He ran a hand through his hair, small dark curls that didn't seem to obey laws of gravity.

"Like my hair. I wanna dye it or something, I don't know. Something that catches people's attention."

_Your face already attracts my attention_ , Tyler though to himself while indulgently staring at the man sitting across from him.

"But I don't know," Josh continued. "What about you? Plan on anymore tattoos?"

"Hm?" Tyler asked, sounding confused before realizing what he'd been asked. "Oh, tattoos? I don't have any plans for more, but wouldn't be opposed to it," He looked up as if in thought— but it was mostly to keep himself from staring too much.

"Gonna stick with the geometric look you have going on?" Josh gestured to Tyler's arms.

"I probably would. I've got an image to maintain! Can't be going out and getting ridiculous tattoos to ruin the aesthetic." He joked, rolling his eyes.

"Of course, of course," Josh replied. "Like I said, I'm still not certain on the look I'm going for, but I wanna get it done soon. I'll talk to your guy, get some artistic insight... It'll be good."

"It's always nerve-wracking to plan and get tattoos, but I promise you'll be happy with the end result," Tyler made genuine eye contact while speaking. "Even if it's not perfect, you'll find things to love about it."

"Really? If you don't mind me asking, did you learn that from personal experience?"

Tyler nodded, glancing at the second band on his left arm. "Nothing major, but sometimes I overthink that this one band looks lopsided, like it's not symmetrical. But it adds to the meaning, that nothing's ever exactly how you want it to be."

"That's really cool. Though, if it helps, it look straight to me." Josh said with an authentic smile. "And thank you, I've definitely been anxious thinking about how wrong everything could go."

"It's easy to worry about something that will be on your body forever. Even when it's exactly like you wanted, you'll still wonder if it's the best it can be. But the imperfections will give it life and more meaning," Tyler replied. "And besides, this guy is absolutely great. He really pays attention to what he's doing."

Josh laughed. "I think I've been watching too many bad tattoo cover-up TV shows..."

"They're addicting!" Tyler chuckled too, truly relating— Tattoo Nightmares was undoubtedly his guilty pleasure.

They talked for a couple more minutes, mostly about bad tattoos they'd seen and trying not to make fun of ones people were proud of. Sometimes they were just too awful to find anything positive about them.

It was apparent to Tyler by then that Josh outside of his job was a much different person. Even though it was the same face and body, Tyler could've sworn he was talking to an entirely different personality. Not that he minded. It almost made it feel like they were starting fresh.

But it made him think if Josh even considered how Tyler felt about him, or if he just saw them as friends. Considering where they met, and the circumstances...

Again, though, Tyler didn't want to make it weird if Josh just wanted to be friends. So he didn't plan on bringing up any of the flirting, or the looks exchanged between them, or the way Josh slipped Tyler his phone number...

But that didn't stop Tyler from reliving those moments while they talked.

Now he was curious if it would be rude to ask if Josh was single. Not that he could ever muster up the strength to actually ask, but while talking about tattoos, Josh brought up an ex.

"It was just off putting, you know, to see someone else's name on their body."

"That's why I say you should never put a name on your body," Tyler mentioned while trying not to focus on the topic of Josh's love life. "Only if it's someone who's passed, or your kid or something. Ideally they won't disappoint you."

"I agree. She kept telling me she'd cover it up, but... Ugh. It was just weird."

Tyler nodded to seem calm and collected but the simple pronoun made him rethink everything. She? So was he even into guys? Would it be easier or worse if he wasn't? They could be friends still, but then that left no option to— well, he could be bi— and more thoughts rushed through Tyler's mind while he tried not to appear concerned.

"I— Yeah, I'm sure that'd be weird. Can't even imagine."

"Did I mention it was like, right in the middle of her chest? So you couldn't really... Avoid it. Big obnoxious font, all swirly. Really trashy."

"Was it really like that? Do people not think twice about these kinds of things?" Tyler asked rhetorically.

"And not even just that— she always tells people that she dumped me. But it's really the other way around," Josh talked frustratedly. He was definitely opening old scars. "And I'll be honest, the tattoo was a contributing factor to why I left. It just added insult to injury." He paused. "What about you? Annoying exes?"

Tyler stuttered looking for words. He was suddenly remembering the guy he just wanted to forget.

"Oh god I— I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked that," Josh quickly apologized. "I'm so sorry, I was just worked up, I uh... Probably shouldn't talk about exes." He laughed dejectedly, looking down at the table.

Tyler faintly smiled. "If it makes a difference, yes, I have an annoying ex." He mentioned with a shrug.

"Well, they're exes for a reason, let's leave them in the past." Josh offered, embarrassed for bringing it up in the first place.

"Agreed. Rather focus on the present," Tyler grimaced slightly seeing how his words made Josh hide behind his hands. "But don't worry about it, I understand where you're coming from. Sometimes you just get so angry with something you can't help but bring it up."

"Exactly... What about currently, then?"

"Hm?" Tyler questioned, even though he knew exactly what Josh was asking. He wanted to know if he was seeing anyone...

"Rather than previous relationships, how about now? Do you have anyone?"

Tyler held his composure as best as he could. Whether or not Josh was asking conversationally, he still wanted to know about Tyler's love life; fairly adamantly, too.

"Should I uh... Have not brought that up either?" Josh worried again. "I promise I'm asking in the most genuine way possible. Not trying to be weird or anything."

"Well, then the answer would be no," Tyler replied a little flatly, but in a way that conveyed he wasn't disappointed by this.

"Oh yeah? Me neither. I mean, kind of, but nothing serious." Josh shrugged and Tyler was practically praying that his face wasn't red.

He wasn't really embarrassed, but their talking had changed topics so quickly that now they were both aware of each other's singleness— it left an air of awkward that made Tyler blush.

But there was also some curiosity. 'Nothing serious' put a million thoughts in Tyler's head. Regardless of what that meant, Josh WAS seeing someone, at least occasionally... And it could easily become something more. So Tyler's consciousness repeated his 'just friends' mantra yet again.

Neither of them found any words to keep the conversation going. Even Josh, who always seemed to have more to say. Tyler looked at the tray in front of him and briefly mentioned he was gonna go throw his stuff away, getting Josh's tray too.

The few seconds he was up, he tried thinking of something else to say, anything really. He didn't want to leave yet, even though they were definitely loitering at this point.

He saw Josh on his phone out of the corner of his eye, tapping away at the screen. What if he was telling a friend about Tyler? Or complaining that this was boring? Or a countless number of questions and concerns that Tyler thought about, almost panicking.

He sat back down with words stuck in his throat. But Josh seemed to have his own plans for what to talk about.

"We should hang out again soon," Josh said, crushing Tyler's spirit a little. Was it over already? "And I wanna introduce you to one of my friends, you guys are really similar and I think you'd get along."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah, his name's Michael. He's one of the security guys at our place, and he likes the same kind of video games as you. Plus his personality is close to yours, like not exact but I still feel like you two would get along well."

"Maybe we can all have a game night or something." Tyler offered, feeling complimented that Josh associated him with one of his good friends.

"That would be cool!" Josh enthused, but he was looking at his phone's lock screen for the time. Not that Tyler wanted to keep him all day, but it made it feel like they were being rushed.

"You're fun to talk to, by the way," Josh continued. "Just if you were worried about it. I know the first time hanging out can be weird, but you were great."

Tyler's emotions did at least four complete 360s in the span of about 5 seconds.

It was hard trying to keep his voice from pitching up, but Tyler managed a small 'thank you' and a smile. Either Josh was great at guessing or reading people because his words lifted Tyler's falling mood a significant degree.

"I probably have to leave soon," Josh mentioned, not sounding that upset but still somewhat apologetic. "Thanks for the tattoo advice, and that guy's number. I'm really excited about this now," He smiled, looking up at Tyler.

"Oh, if you have to go don't let me hold you." Tyler fretted. Those chocolate brown eyes locking with his own made him once again appreciate how pretty his FRIEND was.

"You're fine! I just have a few errands to run, not an appointment or anything. Dry cleaning and groceries... I'm practically a mother at this point." Josh chuckled.

"I wish I actually had that level of motivation," Tyler joked, but he wasn't entirely kidding. "I will wear every single thing in my closet before washing any of it, I swear."

"I'm the same way, don't worry. I at least have a lot of different clothes, but I should still probably wash the ones I wear frequently more than I do."

"Adulthood, what a concept. Me and Mark mostly eat out of cans and boxes, I don't think I've had an actual cooked meal since Thanksgiving."

"I used to live off ramen before I got a job. Now I've moved up to the big leagues— actual spaghetti noodles, rather than the cheap stuff."

"You're making bank dude," Tyler mentioned laughing. Though he suddenly remembered how he contributed several dollars to Josh's salary just the other night.

"Somehow it feels the same though. I just have a big ass box of pasta now... How's it any different than a huge box of ramen?"

"It's the look of it. A box of ramen is kinda shady, but a box of pasta makes you look like a chef in training."

"You're exactly right. You're a genius," Josh laughed. "I'm gonna start telling people that."

"No problem." Tyler waved a hand dismissively. He was smiling, glad they had gotten back on track after the relationship questions.

"Hey, do you have an Instagram or Twitter?" Josh asked, phone in hand. "I'm 'joshuadun' on both, if you want to follow me."

"Oh, yeah I have both, but just don't use them much. I think it's 'tylerrjoseph' on both."

"Two R's?"

"Apparently my name is really common and as a result, taken on most sites. Also my middle name is Robert."

"Really? That's cool, I'm a William." Josh grinned. "Though I've never gone by 'Billy'... It's my dad's name."

"Josh fits you too well. Now Billy, I don't know about that..." Tyler giggled. "But hey, if you ever wanna go by that just let me know. I can make it happen."

"Thanks, that's oddly reassuring." Once again he checked his phone. "Crap, I've probably gotta head out now. Thanks again though, for coming."

"I could never turn down some Taco Bell. Never." Tyler smiled. As Josh stood up, so did the other man. There was a beat, then they shook hands.

It didn't feel weird, it just felt right. They were probably past casual acquaintances now, but not close enough for a hug. A handshake was the perfect median.

And Josh left. Tyler walked out behind him, but made sure there was enough space between them so that they weren't too close.

He sat in his car for a little while, trying to remember if he said anything dumb. When he couldn't think of anything, he felt happy about their date— or, well, meet-up. But if they started dating, they'd probably consider it their first date.

Tyler sighed and started his car.


	16. Chapter 16

"Tyler. Tell me everything."

Mark was home at around 5, and sat down next to his distracted friend (currently engrossed in a round of Rocket League).

"What is there to say?" He lazily replied.

"What is there to—?! Tyler! You hung out with your crush, I'm sure there's a MILLION things to say!"

"Well, we talked about video games and tattoos,"

"Yeah?"

"And then it kind of delved into... Relationships."

Mark grabbed Tyler's shoulder dramatically, but it didn't effect him. He was busy scoring a goal, thumbs working the Xbox controller.

"Like, you asked if he was single?!"

"Not really," He paused. "Hold on." Tyler finished his game in a few minutes, then finally focused on Mark.

"We were talking about tattoos and— he started telling me about an ex of his that got a dude's name tattooed on her chest."

"Oh... He's into girls?"

"Besides the point, Mark. He's probably bi."

"Still relevant if you want to date him!"

"Whatever, I've tried to not let it bother me. Anyway, he was just complaining about the tattoo, but then it delved into him talking about how much he didn't really... Get along with her."

"Yeah?"

"He asked if I had any annoying exes."

"Oh. Well... Did you tell him..?"

"I didn't mention specifics but, he apologized after asking. He was just really caught up in the moment, I don't think he meant to get that personal. But..."

"But what?"

"Then he tried to make it positive by asking if I was... Currently seeing anyone."

"Yeah, you're seeing his beautiful face right across the table!"

"Mark!"

"What?! That's the honest truth."

"I just said no, and then he answered— he said he was in sort of a 'it's complicated' thing. Maybe just a friend with benefits or something, but he said it wasn't that serious."

"Hm. What gender was this friend?"

"Didn't ask. Again, it probably doesn't matter."

"It could very well be! Why waste your time over a guy who might not even like di—"

"Mark, like I said, I just want to be friends right now. We're probably gonna have a game night or something, he wants to introduce me to a buddy of his. Just as friends."

"Not if he's still seeing that nondescript person. That's—"

"Friends! We're friends."

Though Tyler continued to say it, Mark's words got to him. Josh's 'non-serious' relationship could just as quickly become something more... But why would that matter?

Because as hard as he tried, Tyler couldn't help but love Josh. It was the combination of everything— the personality, the kind words, his soft voice, his body, and— absolutely everything about him.

"And what's with this 'buddy' he wants you to meet? Maybe he's trying to hook you up." Mark raised an eyebrow.

"He just said we were similar in some ways. Not like, soul mates."

"Okay sure. Whatever you say." Mark hopped off the couch, a slight sway in his step as he walked to the kitchen.

"Can I ask why you were drinking at like, 10am?"

"More importantly, why not? We were just gonna play games, then alcohol got involved... Things continued from there."

"You better cool it before you become some kind of alcoholic."

"Chill! It's not like I'm getting blackout drunk every night. But thank you for the concern."

Tyler rolled his eyes, and turned back to the TV. Before he could start another game though, he felt his phone buzz next to him.

> **That tattoo guy you showed me, he already got a sketch done**

> **He improved the tree design I had**

Josh sent a picture of a tree drawing. It was a light brown with long roots and spindly branches. It wasn't something Tyler would get tattooed, but he liked the look of it. It would definitely suit Josh.

> _Looks awesome!_

> _When are you gonna get it?_

> **Maybe Tuesday morning after work**

> _Wow that's soon. Guessing you really like it?_

> **Of course, I mean I've had the idea for a while so finally getting the chance is exciting and I want it to happen soon**

Tyler smiled. He remembered how stoked he was for his own tattoos— the Roman numerals on the inside of his right bicep were something he'd planned back in freshman year. As soon as he graduated, he was at the tattoo shop.

> _It'll sting at first but after a while it won't hurt at all, you get used to it_

> **Thanks!!** 😊 **Can't wait**

> _Where are you getting it again?_

> **Outside of my right arm, and I'm gonna get other stuff around it eventually**

> _Can't wait to see pictures, good luck!_

> 👍👍

Tyler frowned. They didn't have anything more to talk about, but he wanted to keep talking. Even though they just conversed in person a few hours earlier.

He wanted to learn all about Josh. More of his interests, beliefs, hobbies... Even if it meant never dating him, Tyler would at least want to be friends.

Phone still in his hand, he opened Instagram. They had followed each other earlier, and now Tyler could go through Josh's Instagram feeling much less guilty about it.

But it made Tyler super wary about what he'd posted on his own account. Mostly stuff with his family, or happy birthday posts to Mark or Brad. He didn't really have many followers either, barely even 200.

Josh's couple thousand felt a little intimidating. It was unlikely he knew every single one of them, but it sure felt that way.

And what would Josh think about Tyler's posts? He didn't go out with people that much, or post that frequently. It made him nervous thinking that Josh had probably looked through all his posts the same way... Maybe he'd upload a selfie or something later, see if Josh would like it.

Josh followed him on Twitter too. But Tyler didn't Tweet that much and hadn't even followed him back yet. But now he was going through @joshuadun and seeing what kind of stuff he talked about.

It felt fairly normal at first. Complaining about waiting in lines, the milkshake machine being broken at McDonalds, funny things between him and his friends. He mostly Retweeted people he knew, but there were some popular funny accounts too.

Tyler found himself laughing and hoped that meant they had a similar sense of humor.

But from a few days ago, there was a Tweet that stood out.

> **Gotta love love..**

It was short and vague but Tyler knew there was some motive behind it. He was probably with someone who made him happy and...

Well, good for him, Tyler told himself. Because they're just friends anyway.

But who?! Was it someone he worked with, someone completely random? Tyler sighed and tried not to let the thoughts overwhelm him any more than they already were.

He went to bed early that night, mostly just so he wouldn't be up any longer thinking about it.

It didn't help, of course. He still dreamt about it incessantly.

Work the next day was about the same. Mindless keyboard tapping and staring at his phone for a notification. He probably should just text first, but it felt weird.

The day after that was similar. But as soon as he sat down at his desk following lunch, his phone finally buzzed to life.

> **I got it!!**

A partially blurry picture of Josh's new tattoo appeared on screen. The design was exactly as he'd planned and it came out pretty clean. It was already wrapped up in clear plastic wrap and taped down.

> _Looks awesome dude!! Glad you're happy with it_

> **I keep looking at it like it's gonna suddenly go away or something, I can't believe I finally have it**

> **Thanks so much for recommending this guy, he was great**

> _Of course! And it's pretty similar to your original idea while still having a little different flare_

> **Yes!! Thank you** ❤️

And Tyler let out a low gasp that he didn't even mean to happen. The little mundane Emoji Josh sent had given him a miniature heart attack.

Well, some people used the heart symbol as just a more expressive way of thanking someone. It wasn't love related or anything obviously. So Tyler leaned back in his desk chair and groaned.

Finishing work that day seemed to take an eternity. Mark drove them both home; and in some cruel twist of events, he had calculated that the road past the strip club was actually a shorter drive home than their previous way.

So Tyler watched the building pass by almost dejectedly. Mark noticed his mood immediately.

"I uh... Know this is a sore topic, but..." He paused. "It was just significantly faster this way. I promise I'm not trying to torture your feelings."

"Thanks, I guess." Tyler didn't feel very reassured though.

Another day passed by and nothing had progressed in his text conversation with Josh. At least say something, anything to not let it grow stale.

But like he always managed to do, Josh texted at the perfect time.

> **I know this is short notice, but I'm having some friends over tonight for a little get together thing**

> **It's no problem if you can't make it but let me know if you're interested :)**

It was Wednesday, and Tyler had just gotten inside the apartment.

In reality, no, he probably couldn't hang out. He'd have to be up in the morning. But Tyler would never turn down getting to spend more time with Josh.

> _How late?_

> **Whenever, there's no set start or end. Just whenever you can make it!**

So Tyler took a deep breath and let Mark know he'd be taking the car.

"Why?" His roommate immediately questioned. "Is this about you-know-who?"

"Okay, don't put it like that. It sounds like you're calling him Voldemort."

"Alright, and that's not cool?" Mark scoffed.

"No! Voldemort was not cool, even for a bad guy."

"Whatever. But this IS a Josh-related trip?"

Tyler rubbed his eyes and looked at his phone. 5:12pm, 27% battery.

"I guess," And he grabbed his sweatshirt before walking back out the door.


	17. Chapter 17

Tyler found it almost challenging to get to Josh's place. He'd gotten the address via text, but his car GPS was not helping very much. He'd abandoned his phone, as it was currently charging on the car charger.

30 minutes later and he was pulling into an apartment complex he'd never seen or even heard of.

He turned the car off and opened the overhead mirror to look at himself.

Alright. He had some sort of scruff growing over the past few days from not shaving. His eyes looked tired, like they usually did. Running his hands through his hair a few times brought it back for a second life, sticking up just a little more.

He was wearing clothes from work still. They were pretty casual, but he'd worn a button up and what could best be described as khakis (though he'd never refer to them as that).

He was just his usual self. But he really didn't want to look like some slob, if he was meeting other people, and hanging out with Josh...

Opting to leave his sweatshirt in the car (for now), Tyler anxiously made his way to the apartment complex, and rode the elevator up 6 floors to room 621.

Knock on the door, be let in. Tyler focused on this immensely but it made his stomach churn uneasily. He played with his car keys, fumbling them between his fingers for a moment before knocking.

Two knocks, a few seconds of waiting, and Josh was opening the door.

He was dressed casual too, just a black t-shirt, ripped blue jeans, and light purple socks. There was some kind of pattern on them, but Tyler didn't want to stare too long to figure out.

His new tattoo stood out like a sore thumb on his pale skin. The area around it was still red but seemed to be healing well.

"Tyler!" Josh exclaimed cheerily, briskly wrapping an arm around the other man as a greeting. Without his shoes on, he lost an inch or two in height, meaning Tyler's face briefly met Josh's shoulder; he smelled like sweet cologne, and maybe a hint of alcohol.

"Hey dude," Tyler decided on, smiling as they moved away from each other. "I had the hardest time finding you on my GPS, you know."

Josh laughed and gestured for Tyler to come in, closing the door behind him.

"You wouldn't be the first person to complain. The road and complex is fairly new, maybe 6 months or so. Most of the car GPS systems don't update that quickly."

"That would explain it." Tyler easily stepped out of his black Vans and left them at a fairly busy shoe rack next the front door.

Looking around he finally noticed how big the place was. It could be defined as 'open-concept', a phrase which Tyler had learned watching HGTV at ungodly hours of the night when Mark was asleep.

The kitchen was off to the right, with a large island and shiny stainless steel appliances. It flowed into a dining room, which was smaller but still had a full table and four chairs around it.

To the left, Tyler couldn't entirely see until Josh led him that way. It was a living room, with a good number of couches, currently occupied by 3 other people.

"Tyler, meet Michael—" Josh pointed to the man closest to them. He was smiling and briefly waved. He was a pretty big guy, but you could tell his personality was nothing but sweet.

"I think you two are really similar," Josh elaborated. "At least, when it comes to video games."

Michael laughed and so did Tyler. Josh signaled to the men sitting together on the other couch.

"On the left there is Darren, and then Andrew." Both smiled when announced, and seemed like friendly guys.

"We weren't really doing anything yet, but Michael was pretty insistent on getting out the GameCube." Josh rolled his eyes jokingly, plopping down next to the supposed gamer.

"I'm just saying, I heard about your Smash Bros talent, Tyler." Michael raised his eyebrows threateningly, but obviously sarcastic. "Might have to put it to the test."

"I wouldn't say talent, more like... Powers." Tyler smugly replied, sitting down on a couch nobody had claimed yet. He didn't want to make it weird by being the third wheel with anyone.

"Cocky friend you got there, it seems," Michael nudged Josh, who snorted.

"He's all talk," Josh mused, looking up and down at Tyler like he was assessing him. "Maybe he could beat you, but I doubt he could ever beat ME."

"Sounds like we're all just pompous assholes." Darren chuckled, shrugging as everyone snapped out of their childish competitive attitudes.

"Sounds like we need to actually play instead of just assuming we're all better than each other." Andrew offered, going over to the TV cabinet to pull out the GameCube and controllers.

They played a few rounds, cycling through everyone since there was an extra person. Tyler knew he was the one, and almost felt bad when he was handed a controller from someone.

One of the times he sat out, he took the opportunity to openly stare at Josh. Everyone paying attention to the screen gave him plenty of time to do so.

The socks Tyler had noticed earlier were covered in little aliens. His jeans were ripped in five different places (both knees, slightly below the left knee, and two above the right). He had on some mascara. The hair shaved off his arm around the tattoo was already starting to grow back in.

But soon the round was over again and he was being handed a controller, in an attempt to prove his ability.

The data was inconclusive though. They all won a few rounds and lost a few too, but it didn't keep them from angrily yelling and shouting to try and mess others up to boost their own egos.

Eventually someone hit pause to take a break, and Andrew got up to stretch.

"Anyone want something to drink?" He asked nonchalantly, traipsing over to the kitchen.

Suddenly everybody said sure, except Tyler.

It felt like high school all over again.

"I'm— uh... I'm alright." He replied, suddenly feeling really small with everyone's eyes on him.

"Okay," Andrew shrugged, and went to open the fridge. Tyler started scrolling through something on his phone to act natural while the others waited. He still had to work in the morning. It wasn't that late, but he knew his limits with drinking— and it took very little to become intoxicated.

Josh, Michael, and Andrew all sipped away on beers. Their current Smash Bros game was still on pause, leaving Tyler to have little else to do while they all drank.

"So... How do you guys know each other?" He asked curiously, hands hiding in his pockets.

"Well, Michael's one of the security guys at the club," Josh answered. "And we're super good friends, we go back to high school."

Michael nodded, agreeing with the statement. Tyler knew he looked familiar.

"Darren and I met at a concert a year or two ago, we both like drumming." Josh continued.

"And I'm his sister's boyfriend," Andrew answered for himself. "What about you, how'd you meet Josh?"

Even though it was an innocent enough question, it made Tyler feel almost threatened. Maybe they weren't really that good of friends if they just met at a strip club... And not both as customers.

Tyler saw Josh give Andrew a look of warning, like they had discussed this before and didn't want it brought up again. The silence continued and Tyler was still lacking a proper answer.

"At um... His work. A weekend or two ago," Tyler mumbled out nervously. What else was he supposed to say? He felt so insignificant surrounded by these long-time friends of Josh's. But his reply seemed to satisfy Andrew, who just nodded and went back to sipping his beer.

Before anyone could get another word out, the doorbell rang. It was loud and grand, like it belonged in a mansion. Then again the apartment might as well have been one; it dwarfed Tyler and Mark's place.

"There they are," Josh smiled and hopped up to get the door. He disappeared behind the corner but Tyler could hear him greeting what sounded like a dozen people.

They were noisy, many of which carrying cases of more beer. Most of them headed over to the kitchen, but others came into the living room, sitting down on any open space they could find.

One of them was talking about something loudly that riled the rest of them up. Tyler tried minimizing the space he occupied for the guys that sat on either side of him.

"Hey, I'm Mike," The guy on his left introduced. "I don't think I've ever seen you before."

"Yeah, probably not. I'm Tyler." He took the guy's hand to shake, who had way too strong of a grip.

Suddenly the little get together became a busy party; one of the guys in the other room started blasting music from a speaker, and the place reeked of alcohol much more than before.

Tyler felt alone.

He saw Josh through a crowd of new people, who seemed to just magically appear in the apartment. Their eyes didn't cross but Tyler continued to look a little desperately. Darren, Michael, and Andrew seemed to disappear into the masses.

Okay, it was a Wednesday, not even 7pm yet. Mark hadn't texted about the car yet which meant he probably wouldn't need it at all.

So Tyler shuffled his way through people to the kitchen, grabbing a beer out of the open fridge.

It was just one, he probably wouldn't even finish it. But he was at a party with barely even one person he knew. Maybe he'd loosen up a little with something in his system.

He was back on the couch playing Smash with a couple strangers, doing pretty good. But his perception felt somewhat off with the few sips of beer he'd taken.

Maybe he was overreacting, because he kept winning, game after game. The people he played with were either angry about losing or wanted to be friends afterwards.

"Gonna let someone else try?" Someone suddenly asked, pointing at the controller resting in Tyler's hands. The guy was pretty fit, with thin blond hair that laid in waves. Something about him was familiar.

"Maybe, if you can beat me." He answered, not looking away from the screen. But the guy leaned down and paused the game for him, forcing Tyler to look at him more clearly.

They both had a moment of realization, when they fully saw each other.

"I know you, you're— I saw you at work. The hell are you doing here?" Jamez scoffed. He didn't seem nearly as friendly as he was when he was half naked.

"I'm friends with your coworker, what's it to you?" Tyler spat; he was tired and knew he needed to go home at some point soon. The apartment appeared to keep getting fuller, more people entering and crowding around.

"Whatever, be a dick about it," And Jamez pushed his way out of the living room.

After finishing a round Tyler passed his controller to someone else. It still wasn't extremely late, maybe 8pm now, but he couldn't prioritize his desire to further befriend Josh over work in the morning.

Besides, he hadn't seen Josh for at least two hours now. Maybe he'd just slip out and get it over with. He didn't plan on coming to a party of this size anyway.

As he shimmied through some people (apologizing profusely as he did), he found the balcony. It was surprisingly empty and he pulled the sliding glass door open, stepping out into the night air.

He needed it, the fresh air hitting his face, happy to be out of the humid apartment. He was pretty far up, and watched the cars down below pass by like ants.

He started a plan in his head to leave without anyone questioning or seeing. It was mostly just so he wouldn't disappoint Josh.

But before walking back in to the building, he was joined on the balcony by a dark haired man with several visible tattoos.

Tyler and him turned at the same time to face each other.

"Tyler..?" The man asked. Tyler now knew exactly who it was, by voice alone.

"Oh hey Jon! Glad to see a friendly face here." He greeted. Tyler hadn't seen Jon since his first trip to the strip club, nearly three weeks ago.

"Yeah, uh... You too." Jon stuttered, taking a deep breath before immediately turning around to go back inside. He practically rushed away, gone before Tyler could get out another word.

That was... Extremely odd. Tyler had known Jon since junior year of college, and even though they weren't amazing friends who knew everything about each other, they were still good buddies.

Tyler didn't know what to do, and just awkwardly stood in the doorway before slowly walking back in.

He was never one to pry, and under any other circumstance would let Jon go without question; but something compelled him to figure out what had Jon pretty much running away from him.

Did he smell? Was he unbearably ugly? No, no, Tyler decided. Did he say something rude? He implied that him and Jon were friends, which was completely true.

If something had suddenly changed in their relationship, Tyler wanted to fix it. He liked Jon's company; he was funny, and could always be assertive one if Tyler was feeling shy in a situation.

Swimming through a crowd watching a girl shotgun a beer, Tyler saw the back of Jon's head continuing to move away. Why did this place feel like a giant maze when trying to get anywhere?

Reaching the living room, Tyler lost sight of Jon. He gave up for now, and tried to see if he was anywhere near the front door.

It was directly behind him. But as he went to leave, he finally saw Josh again. It was just barely, but past people's shoulders and heads he made out the familiar face.

He was sitting around with other people, GameCube paused on the TV still. Rising smoke told Tyler exactly what was going on.

But it wasn't the joint being passed around that made Tyler disgusted. It was the guy sitting next to Josh, way too close and exchanging kisses.

Tyler locked eyes with the other guy, the same guy he had just spent minutes chasing after.

Jon looked both apologetic and smug as Tyler angrily pushed open the door, leaving the party behind.


	18. Chapter 18

Tyler drove home in silence, not sure what to do or say. He kept telling himself he didn't care, that Josh could be with whoever he wanted. But didn't Jon know? Why would he purposely go after Josh when he knew Tyler was interested?

Mark let Tyler in, and was smiling keenly. But once he saw the look plaguing his friend's face he immediately went into comfort mode.

"What happened?" Mark asked, sitting down next to Tyler on the couch.

"Jon."

"Uh... What about John? Or Jon? Which one we taking about?"

"Bellion."

"Ohh, what's up with him?" Mark asked carefully. "Haven't seen him since that first club trip—"

"That's the thing," Tyler muttered. "I just saw him again at Josh's. I talked to him and he ran away from me."

"How did he run away? Was there a lot of people?"

"The supposed small gathering I went to became a party," Tyler rubbed his temples. "With alcohol and weed and whatever else. It happened so fast, and I didn't leave sooner because I wanted to talk to Josh more. But..."

"Yeah?"

"Josh was with him."

"Who?"

"Jon. Josh was kissing him. That's why he ran away from me, he didn't want me to know that they were... Ugh." Tyler laid down on the couch and tried pushing away the growing feeling in his stomach.

"You're shitting me. What a fucking asshole!" Mark exclaimed. "He KNEW you were interested in Josh, why would he even—?"

"I don't know. But he gave me a look when I left and it made me feel so bad," Tyler's voice cracked and his eyes began to water. He closed them frustratedly.

"That's just so... I'm sorry dude," Mark placed a hand on his friend's back. "I can't believe he'd do that to you. That means he probably went out of his way to see Josh outside of work, and— Tyler, you've been trying so hard man. You don't deserve this."

"I guess. But that's my luck, isn't it? I was pushing it anyway, going after someone so out of my league. I do deserve this."

"You don't, okay? And you're still his friend, so obviously he likes you. It could just be a one-time thing with Jon, didn't he tell you he was seeing someone but it wasn't that serious?"

"Besides the point. He was still kissing on someone I've obviously been trying to get with. I think I'm just gonna give up at this point." Tyler wiped away some tears on the verge of falling.

"I— I don't know what else to say. But I know he still likes you more than you'd think, don't let one dick of a friend ruin that for you." Mark grabbed Tyler's shoulder reassuringly.

"Maybe. Whatever, it was time to move on anyway. I was just desperate because I left Nick, and wanted someone else to fill the void as soon as possible. I wanted someone who would actually care about me, and I clung onto some random stranger who showed me affection once." Tyler hid his face with his hands, trying to move himself out of his friend's grasp.

"I'll leave you alone, if that's you want. But we're not done here, I don't want you upset about this. Talk in the morning?"

Tyler shrugged, waiting for Mark to leave before he headed to his room.

He slept terribly. Work the next day only distracted him temporarily. Maybe he just wasn't meant for a relationship. Nothing had ever worked for him.

His phone felt heavy in his pocket whenever he thought about texting Josh. He had that option, he could easily message him again whenever.

But what would he even say? Hey, I saw you practically making out with a buddy of mine. It's okay though, we're still friends.

Instead he didn't say anything for days; then weeks. Even when he managed to push it out of his head, Josh still found him in his dreams. Sometimes they were nice, but mostly it was Jon always getting to be with him and Tyler messing something up and looking like a fool.

Mark tried talking to him about it, but nothing ever came from it. Tyler insisted he was alright, but wouldn't try to move on.

He still watched Josh's Instagram and Twitter, but dreaded seeing a Tweet or post involving Jon. There wasn't anything yet, but he still continued fearing the day that they publicly declared being in a relationship.

Jon blocked Tyler from his accounts, so he didn't know if he posted stuff about Josh. Mark wasn't blocked, but so far said he hadn't seen anything.

Everyday Tyler thought of something new to text Josh, but never did. He felt bad, because Josh just wanted to be friends, and suddenly they hadn't texted for almost a month.

But on a Wednesday after work, Tyler and Mark went to get Taco Bell and ran into a familiar face.

"Jon..." Mark said almost warily, recognizing the man ahead of them in line.

He turned around, facing Mark and a broken Tyler.

"Guys, I... I know why you're..." He struggled to find words. "Tyler, I'm— I shouldn't have done what I did. I know that. But I went to the club another night after our visit, and we talked, I saw him after his shift and— I don't know. We weren't really a thing, I—"

"I can't believe you Jon. I don't care if you apologize, you know I was obviously interested in him." Tyler stood confidently, but his voice wavered.

"I know, I can't make up for what I did, but I haven't seen him for almost two weeks anyway. This doesn't help you at all, but he's with someone else now."

The person in front of Jon finished ordering, meaning he had to move up, leaving the conversation awkwardly.

Tyler and Mark looked at each other. So Josh had already left Jon and moved onto someone else? He was right, it didn't help Tyler at all. It just made him lose hope that Josh ever had long-term relationships.

Jon ordered to-go, and didn't say another word until he got his food, simply saying 'bye' before leaving the two behind.

They stayed there to eat, discussing heavily over their tacos.

"He's ALREADY with another person?" Tyler asked rhetorically, sounding forlorn.

"It seems to me like he just has one-time partners, I don't know. Jon was a victim of it I suppose."

"I don't wanna sound like a jerk but that's... I don't know. It's so stereotypical. He's a stripper and has a lot of friends with benefits. I don't know." Tyler sighed.

"I wouldn't be discouraged. The fact that he wanted to have lunch with you, and invited you to his party. Plus he texted you right after getting his tattoo. Even if it's not romantic he still enjoys your company." Mark pointed out.

"Sure, I guess. And I've been wanting to see him again. It's been too long."

"How about tomorrow after work we stop by his place of employment?"

"Really? Mark, that's not exactly what I meant."

"...If anything, you can see him almost naked again. I know you'd like that."

"I guess," Tyler agreed. Maybe Josh would talk to him; seeing him dance would just be a bonus. "I'll think about it."

"Good. It can't hurt to start a conversation with him. I'm sure he misses you." Mark said hopefully. He took a bite of his taco and looked up, seeing the lady in the booth behind them looking confused at their conversation. No wonder— it went from relationship advice to talking about strippers.

Work the next day seemed to go a little more smoothly for Tyler after learning Josh left Jon. He managed to sleep fairly well, and was eager to visit the club later.

Maybe Jon wasn't trying to steal Josh from Tyler. Maybe it was just more of an opportunity thing.

Regardless, it didn't change Tyler's sentiment towards him. Jon qualified as a backstabber, as far as he was concerned.

Checking out of habit, Tyler saw he was no longer blocked by Jon on social media. Then he saw Josh had posted something on Instagram.

The picture was him and a shorter girl hugging, standing in front of a mural at the airport. It was his sister, and the caption detailed how much he'd miss her while she was away at college.

Tyler smiled, still smitten despite everything. He liked the post, and got back to work a little happier.

When Mark appeared in his doorway near the end of the work day, he knew what soon awaited them.

"Ready to go champ?" Mark joked, knocking on the already open door.

"Oh yeah, just brimming with excitement." Tyler deadpanned, but it wasn't entirely wrong. More than anything, he just wanted to see Josh again.

The thing was, Josh wouldn't even know what went on between Jon and Tyler. He never saw Tyler looking at him while he kissed Jon at the party. He had no idea.

But that gave Tyler hope, oddly enough. Josh wouldn't be perturbed by him yet, and still see him simply as a friend. Not someone wildly infatuated with him.

Despite the negative thinking Tyler had been going through the past month, nothing could keep him from liking Josh. Deep down through the annoyance, he cherished the curly haired boy.

So watching the strip club roll into view as Mark drove gave him a feeling in his gut that was a combination of every emotion on the spectrum. At least, that's what it felt like.

"You sure look giddy," Mark parked the car away from the entrance, knowing they'd have some time to wait before opening time. "What changed your mind so quickly?"

Tyler unbuckled his seat belt. Well? What was it? He thought silently for longer than what would be considered socially acceptable, though Mark was used to this sort of pondering.

"I guess... I'm still mad at Jon,"

"Fair."

"But it's not like Josh's really dating anyone. Just sort of... You know. Friends with benefits." Tyler shifted in his seat, slightly uncomfortable.

Mark nodded. Tyler continued.

"So I guess, I'm really glad to be over beating myself up. I... Still have a chance, you know?"

Thoughts bombarded him about becoming the same as Jon, just a throwaway relationship, but he pushed them away for now. He wanted to enjoy the night.

"I'm glad. You need to try not to doubt yourself as much as you do. I know it's hard, especially after the past few weeks of despair, but you're half of the solution. If you believe in yourself, you're halfway closer to whatever you want."

Tyler nodded, taking a deep breath. A familiar car pulled into a parking space right up front. Watching Josh get out of his car was... An exhilarating experience?

He was wearing hot pink tennis shoes (wow), a formfitting white graphic t-shirt (oh my gosh his muscles), and how did his pants manage to get tighter every time? Still black and ripped, it amazed Tyler he could even get them on.

It was even better when he started walking... towards... them...?!

Instinctively Tyler went to slide under the dashboard. Avoid contact, don't let him see you— but then he remembered hey, they're friends!

Josh smiled and waved happily as he approached them. He had a bag slung over his shoulder that swung back and forth dramatically as he walked to the passenger side window.

An awkward pause happened, in which Tyler stared quite dreamily and didn't do anything about rolling the window down— Mark had to do it himself, using the controls on his side.

"Tyler!" Josh exclaimed. As soon as he had the chance, he leaned through the open window to give Tyler a hug. "Oh my god, it's been way too long."

Tyler nodded, finally coming to his senses... Somewhat. He embraced Josh and tried to hold on just a little bit longer, smelling his cologne of sweet pine needles.

"I meant to message you or something, but I'm just awful with starting conversations." Tyler offered as an apology while they broke the hug.

So wrong. He had lists and lists of things to begin with. It was more just being afraid of Jon... But he was in the past, old news. Josh was now.

"That's alright, I'm just happy to see you! And you're... Mark, yes?" He gestured to the driver, who curtsied the best he could in such a confined space.

"Correct, here I am in all my glory." He grinned lamely.

"I've heard good things," Josh joked back, stifling a giggle. Oh how Tyler missed that. Had it really only been a month? It felt more like centuries.

"Well, I'm happy to see you here. Thursdays are always slow at first, you two might just be by yourselves in there." Josh shrugged, gesturing to the lack of cars around them.

"Sounds like a party." Mark replied, nonchalantly nudging Tyler to get him back to Earth.

"I'm excited." He smiled up at Josh, who looked like an angel with the late afternoon sun illuminating behind him. He took a mental screenshot.

"Well, I gotta head in. Get all dolled up, you know how it is. See you two soon!" Josh's lips curved into another smile that melted Tyler at his core.

He was really back in it now, wasn't he?


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains adult content.

"His tattoo looked nice," Mark commented as they walked in.

"Did I never show you?" Tyler was playing with an empty straw wrapper. Only water tonight, he promised himself. No more drinking, or anything else he knew wasn't meant for his body. Plus, he was DD.

"Guess not." Mark shrugged. Josh was right, not a lot of people were in there with them. It felt kinda sad... And awkward.

Tyler wasn't sure what he would do if he was the only one in there. Just him, and Josh up on stage.

Although, all things considered, that didn't sound terrible either.

But just as his fantasy started to evolve, it seemed as if a couple dozen people immediately spawned into the room. Oh well, maybe another day he could have his moment.

Tyler turned back to Mark, who was easily chatting with the bartender, Pete.

"I'm just saying, dolphins are eventually gonna grow legs and come up on land to take over."

Pete scoffed. "They're not gonna suddenly be able to breathe air, though."

"They're mammals! They already breathe air." Mark pointed out, laughing. He turned to look at Tyler, who cracked a smile at the ridiculous conversation.

"It's true. And there's lots of studies showing that dolphins are pretty evil." Tyler snorted. "They steal fish from each other."

"No shit?" The bartender chuckled. "Well, the more you know."

Tyler looked up at the dim lights above them. They were flickering occasionally, casting weird shadows on the bottles lining the wall behind Pete.

The bar stool next to Tyler squeaked, and he glanced over to notice whoever had joined him.

"Hey," The guy casually said, signaling to Pete to order.

Tyler looked him up and down quickly. He was sorta lanky, with olive skin, and black hair sticking out at odd angles.

After getting his bright blue drink, he eyed Tyler not very discreetly.

"What's up with you?"

"Like, in general, or..?"

"Your drink's empty."

Tyler looked at the plastic cup in front of him. The ice was starting to melt.

"Well, it's just water." He shrugged. He tried to act disinterested but the other man was holding on.

"Huh. Are you the designated driver or something?"

"Well, yeah. That and I try not to drink too much."

The stranger laughed. "Do you get a little wild with alcohol in your system?" He leaned towards Tyler, who in response leaned further away.

"Um, don't know. Never gotten to that point."

At this point Mark noticed the situation, and took a hold of Tyler's hand, trying to make it apparent.

"Excuse you," He simply said, getting the attention of the dark haired man, who scoffed.

"Yeah, knew you were too good to be single anyway." He rolled his eyes, taking his drink as he got up and walked elsewhere.

"Thanks," Tyler mumbled. He squeezed Mark's hand graciously before letting go.

"Of course. I'm here for you."

Tyler nodded, staring at the wood grain in the bar top. He traced it with his finger distractedly.

"I'm here for you too. If you ever need me." He responded.

"Thanks dude." Mark smiled, patting his friend on the back. "And if you want to leave—"

"I know. But I still wanna see Josh, so I'm willing to wait." Tyler said, with almost an excited giggle.

More time passed before the first show started. It was someone they hadn't seen before, and seemed to be new to most of the other customers as well. A lot of them asked their friends if they had caught the guy's name.

Mark and Tyler sat down at a table, discussing something absentmindedly.

"Weren't you two talking about dolphins earlier? And now whales? Are you two marine biologists?" A passing voice stopped at their booth.

Tall, dark, and muscular, Typhoon was a familiar face to Tyler. He'd been featured on Josh's Instagram, as well as danced on stage plenty of times.

"We ARE talking about whales, aren't we?" Mark tilted his head, noticing the odd pattern. "And yep, that was us..."

Typhoon rested a hand on his hip. "So, marine biologists or not?" He batted his eyelashes teasingly.

"Nope. Neither of us could ever have the patience to study something like that." Mark continued. "We are but simple men working white collar jobs. Maybe one day though."

Tyler shifted in his seat. He nodded to pretend to be involved in the conversation, but Typhoon caught on.

"Distracted?" He plainly asked, flexing nonchalantly. "Wait, I think I know you."

"No you don't. I mean, you could, I just—" Tyler stuttered.

"Yeah! I think I saw you at Daddy's party a while back," He said happily. "You were playing Smash Bros."

Tyler grimaced slightly; something about hearing Josh called that was making him anxious.

"Oh, yes, I was there. You're right."

"You like him?"

If he'd had anything in his mouth, Tyler certainly would have spit it out. Instead he choked on his own saliva, coughing to try and make his shock less obvious.

"Um, we're friends."

"Oh, I see how it is," Typhoon laughed (although it sounded fake) and sulked away, brushing into both of them before leaving.

"Anyway, so I think Free Willy is a bad representation of—" Mark slowed his talk of whales for a minute. "Okay, yeah maybe we should talk about what just happened instead."

Tyler felt his stomach churning. "What if he tells Josh?"

"That what, his friend his here? He knows that already."

"Typhoon, or whatever, he— he obviously noticed I was... Or, well... Maybe he thought..."

"Listen," Mark set his drink down. "If anything, he'd just mention you're in the audience— which like I said, Josh already knows. It wasn't obvious that you like-like him."

"But he asked me if I did! And I couldn't think of anything to say, like an idiot—"

Mark reached across the table and dramatically took Tyler's face in his hands.

"You're fine. This probably happens more than you'd expect. He won't tell anyone, especially Josh."

It didn't help settle his stomach, but Tyler was sort of thankful anyway.

When the lights next dimmed, and the DJ started blasting more music, time seemed to slow.

Sure, Tyler had seen him do this before. But as the announcer read out his ridiculous stage name, and Josh strutted out, Tyler's jaw still dropped.

He seemed to gleam under the low lighting, bare chest infinitely sweaty. He made tiny movements, his tight pants restricting him. They were the same ones he had on when Tyler saw him outside.

Mark watched as his friend got up, dazed, and walked over to the stage.

Josh neared the edge of the platform, his hips swaying back and forth, back and forth. Tyler smiled up at him. He was in some sort of a crowd, but the other jostling people didn't make his attention falter once.

Okay... Tyler thought to himself while he watched Josh unbutton his pants and start to slide the zipper down. Why was he so worried about someone telling Josh he liked him? That would make everything easier.

In fact, if Tyler hungrily watching his 'friend' strip in front of him didn't send any hints, he would pray that someone HAD told Josh.

Despite the fact that they seemed glued to his body, Josh's skinny jeans slid off easily, to the pleasure of everyone watching.

Black boxer briefs were all he left behind after his pants fell to the ground.

Tyler licked his lips. He thought unsanitary thoughts and tried to ignore everything else besides Josh, including anything happening below his belt.

Music shaking the floor, his heart pounding in his ears, he couldn't be entirely sure of what he was hearing.

But as Josh started coiling around the pole, Tyler swore he could've heard him say his name. Right? He only noticed because Josh held out the L sound, biting his tongue as he did.

And the really interesting part was when he made eye contact with one particular customer— that one up front, with the light brown hair and buttoned shirt. The black tattoos adorning his arms, contrasting his tan skin.

Tyler felt light headed.

Jeez, calm down. It was just... No, he dismissed that thought. He'd been wanting another moment like this one; an almost-naked Josh indirectly flirting with him.

He climbed the pole so effortlessly, strong legs supporting him as he spun. He was really quite talented at it, actually.

Tyler never would have expected to be in a strip club just a few months ago, let alone having a stripper making remarks towards him.

But he was certain now that Josh was making a point to be slightly closer to Tyler than the others. Especially when picking up money that people threw at him, he always knew what was from Tyler and would tuck it into his waistband teasingly.

He had done it before, during another one of Tyler's visits, but this time was different.

First off, he bit his lip. Which seemed like the usual shtick for a stripper. But it was so tantalizing, and when his eyes met Tyler's, it sent a shiver down his spine.

He then proceeded to wink, which everyone else probably missed, but Tyler knew what he saw. It was deliberate and directed towards him.

...Maybe he was reaching a little. But he wasn't going to ignore that fact that Josh wasn't really looking at anyone else besides him.

So Tyler felt more obligated to literally throw his money away, just to see if Josh really was biased towards him. It was sort of exciting.

And although he would never complain in the moment, there was always that pang of guiltiness that overcame Tyler once the show would end; why did he enjoy that so much? Was he really so depraved he found satisfaction in watching practically naked guys dance around?

It was the same guilt he felt when watching that kind of thing in his room, alone— and immediately after he finished, feeling like some kind of gross freak for getting off to that.

But for as long as it was happening, it was fun. It was just the aftermath that was less desirable.

The idea that he was being so obvious towards Josh made him more anxious now than anything. There was no way the guy didn't see how Tyler looked at him, the way his eyes traveled the stripper's body.

Despite wanting his looks to be noticed at the beginning of the show, his regret was starting to set in as the music slowed and Josh bent down to pick up the pants he earlier discarded.

Now Tyler felt bad. Josh would never want to be with someone who just ogled his body... He shouldn't have even come here, they should've just stayed friends and went from there.

Mark noticed this, tapping Tyler's shoulder in an attempt to ground him.

"Are you alright?" Mark asked tentatively.

"I— We should go home." He mumbled. Josh was walking off stage now, after shaking his ass one last time for his paying customers.

"Sure? You don't want to see Josh after—?"

"I'm sure." Tyler tried ignoring the bubbling emotions in his stomach, but that growing feeling of shame weighed heavy.

Mark nodded, finishing his drink and following out after his friend.

"If it matters, he seemed to be pretty interested in you tonight."

"Well, that's what he's supposed to do." Tyler shuffled past a few people and pushed through the door. Mark had to pick up his pace to keep up.

"What happened? Did you change your mind?"

Him and Tyler reached their car, the latter standing by the driver's side door, not unlocking it yet.

"It's... I feel so bad. About this situation in general." He rested his arms on the top of the car. "I should've just been here as a friend, not some horny loser with no boyfriend."

"I..." Mark paused; he required a little more time to process thoughts in his somewhat intoxicated state. "Tyler, that's how you met him in the first place. I'm sure he sees your intentions go further than just friends, you've both been passively flirting with each other since you ran into him on accident."

"Then why hasn't he made a move?" Tyler whined, begrudgingly unlocking the car and getting in, Mark following suit.

"Probably because his job. If I were him, I wouldn't be the one making the moves. Let the other party do that first."

"So I haven't shown him I like him?"

"That's not what I'm saying," Mark interrupted. "You've had multiple conversations with him about your interests. You have things in common. He talked to you about getting his tattoo—"

"That was as friends though. I made it weird when I came back to the strip club" Tyler started the car and buckled up.

"You didn't even get his number until you came back a second time though. Don't forget that!" Mark burped while Tyler put his seat belt on for him. "We've talked about this. He likes you, he gave you his number! And you met at a strip club, he knows you appreciate his body—"

"But—"

"But nothing. That doesn't mean you're not friends, you are. Like I said, considering how you guys met, it might feel a little weird for him to ask."

Tyler sighed as he pulled the car out slowly. He saw Josh's silver car still there. It looked new, but already had a few bumper stickers on it— they all looked like band logos.

"Also," Mark jerked forward when Tyler abruptly braked for some guys trying to cross the parking lot towards the club. "You really should be the one to ask him. Why should Josh have to?"

"Because I don't have the guts to do it." Tyler grimaced. His grip on the steering wheel got tighter. He wasn't angry at Mark, just himself, like usual.

"Ask him to hang out more. Go do something together, something fun."

"So you don't think he hates me?"

Mark scoffed. " _He likes you!_ He thinks you're interesting enough to hang out with. He's glad you check him out and tip him lots for his dancing. I promise you, he's not weirded out that you watch him strip."

"Not even a little?"

"I don't know the man's every thought, but he obviously was happy you came. If he didn't like that, he probably wouldn't have said hi to you before starting his shift tonight."

Tyler took a deep breath. On autopilot, he ran his hands over his pockets to make sure he had everything with him. Something was off; though he didn't catch it immediately, he soon realized that the usual strain of his wallet was missing.

"Son of a bitch," he grumbled, shifting the car into reverse and going back exactly how he'd left.

"What?" Mark asked, more shocked by the use of the word 'bitch' than by the frequent and sudden movements of the car shaking his very drunk body around.

"Left my freakin' wallet in there."

"How'd you manage to do that?"

"I don't know, I— I think I left it on top of a urinal like an idiot."

Mark laughed. "Oh, it's definitely gone then. Better call up Visa and cancel your card ASAP as possible."

"Ha ha, funny," Tyler mused, but he knew his friend was right. No way his very light wallet _hadn't_ gotten snatched up by other club goers in the hour or two it had likely been sitting there. Nevertheless, he needed to look for it just in case.

He was dreading it. Only minutes after leaving the place in an emotional outburst, he was immediately crawling back like a baby that didn't know any better. His head hurt and his hands were sweating profusely; the usual symptoms Tyler faced when angry.

Moving quickly, he just caught Michael's face out of the corner of his eye. He was right by the front door, doing his usual security routine. But Tyler had no time to think about how others might be seeing him right now, fuming and stomping around. One track mind, please.

Pushing into the bathroom, of course he was there, of course Josh was at the sink, washing his pretty little hands and fixing his perfectly curled hair. Why was he there? Once again his actions were completely illogical, and Tyler was convinced it was solely to fuck with him. Why else? Why else would he be in a bathroom with the rest of the club's patrons? _It didn't make sense!_

He looked up from the sink and saw a worked up Tyler examining the urinals with an obsessive detail. What was he looking for? Josh stood watching; he was back in a pair of pants, but still shirtless.

"Tyler? Are you okay?" he asked innocently.

"No, I'm really not, why the hell are you in here?"

Josh furrowed his brow. Something was up with Tyler, surely.

"I'm just washing my hands. Is there something you need?"

_Oh God yes! You, you dumbass, you!_

Never again (probably in his life) would Tyler ever be so bold as to rush over to Josh and kiss him, rather roughly actually, pressing their bodies together. He was hungry.

Josh seemed to take it well— while he momentarily had hover hands, they soon found leverage grabbing Tyler's hips. He could feel the smaller man's erection pressed against his thigh, and it was not an unwelcome feeling.

"You must get off on blue-balling guys, huh?" Tyler gasped out as he broke the kiss, voice raspy. His hands had found the expanse of Josh's back and held on. "Been leading me on for months, you dick."

Josh softly laughed, turning so that Tyler was pressed up against the stall. "I'm not one for making first moves, I guess."

"Clearly," Tyler spat, still seething. He found himself bucking up against Josh's thigh for friction, which elicited low groans from the back of Tyler's throat. "I couldn't— ohh— tell if you were interested. Thought maybe that was just your usual... ahh... personality."

"You gotta learn to take a hint then," Josh nipped at Tyler's neck, not quite leaving hickeys, but only a step or so from it. "I've only been _literally_ shaking my ass and cock in your face for, what'd you say, several months?"

This did not go over well for Tyler, whose grip on Josh's back tightened, leaving purposeful scratches. "Gosh, you're so entitled, aren't you? It's not like you do that every— damn— day of your life!"

"Yeah, but never that deliberate! God, are you always this angry when you're horny?" Josh moved one of his hands to start unbuttoning Tyler's pants, struggling to work the tight material away from his body.

"Not to mention, you slept with one of my friends fairly regularly for a while there, what happened with that?" Tyler's face was flush, hair a mess as he let Josh pull his jeans down, freeing his hard-on.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Josh grunted, very lost from how he thought this interaction would go. "Jon? What, suddenly I'm not allowed to bang whoever I want just because you exist? I didn't know you were so special."

Suddenly, he lifted Tyler's bottom half up, pinning his upper torso against the toilet stall. His underwear was pulled down in the process, rendering him exposed. Josh's muscles strained slightly as he worked at his own pants while keeping the boy up.

"He said you moved on, found someone else. Why'd you leave him in the— ahh— dust?"

"I seriously didn't think this was any of _your_ business, but since you asked," Josh freed himself, and as convenient as a strip club bathroom could get, grabbed one of the many packets of lube they kept in a basket on the sink. "He was jealous of the attention I get. Seems you might be too?"

"Oh— eff no, I just— God, you really walk around with that thing?" Tyler lost his train of thought entirely at the sight of Josh's weighty cock, just as he'd imagined it in his rather R-rated late night fantasies. His legs were wrapped around Josh's mid-section, and he pulled the dancer closer to him.

"Don't try and change the subject," Josh was almost half growling his words out, his grip tightening on Tyler's hips. "You can't stand the thought of me being with someone else, because you think you've earned me all to yourself? Just because I find you hot doesn't mean I'm suddenly monogamous." He ripped the packet open and went to work with the lube.

"Don't flatter yourself too much, you might act like you're the shit, but you—" and without warning, Josh had rammed up deep into Tyler, nearly all the way, which ripped loud moans from both of them.

"I was wrong about you, Joseph," Josh said between gasps. "You're really just an inconsiderate fuck who acts like he's the center of everyone else's world."

Tyler's eyes fluttered as he tried to catch his breath— he failed to find enough air to speak. His nails dug deeper into Josh's back though, making it clear he wasn't a fan of these claims. Josh slowly pulled himself out about three quarters of the way.

"You think that, 'cause you got a stiffy at a club once that I owe you something," Josh continued, thrusting back in and causing Tyler to groan and bite his lip so hard he broke skin. "You're no better than anyone else that comes in here."

One deep breath was enough, and Tyler was able to talk again, albeit in a shaky voice. "That's— not— true," he finally got out, quietly whimpering as Josh pulled out again and began a gradual rhythm.

"It is," Josh said confidently. "Everyone either wants to fuck me or get fucked by me, that's why I get paid the big bucks, that's why creepy old guys throw away hundreds and hundreds a night, because they think it'll get them somewhere."

"You're— incredibly— conceited," Tyler hissed, trying his best to take all of Josh inside him without seeming like he was struggling too much. It was only sort of working. "And yeah, you're attractive, but— shit— I like _you_ too, as a p-person."

Josh kept pounding into the tan twink, head lolling back a bit. "Maybe you should be grateful, then, that— that you're the only person from this club that I've— I've ever been on a regular date with," he said, each word accentuated with deep sounds of effort.

Tyler's mood was all at once lifted— so Josh _did_ consider their lunch together a date... Tyler could feel the pit of warmth growing inside him, but he tried to ignore it. How pathetic would it be to come after about five minutes of hate sex?

"That's cute," Tyler spit out. "And how many have you— ahh— already had completely forgettable sex with?"

"Fucking ballsy of you to say that, given that we're not done here and there's still plenty of time left for you to disappoint me," Josh warned, picking up speed and nearing on erratic movements. Tyler started to slide down the wall slightly into a bad angle, requiring Josh to hoist him back up again, almost effortlessly.

"Then you better s-speed it up and f— f—" Tyler's speech turned into overlapping sounds that were hard to decipher.

"That's an awful lot coming from someone too bitch to say 'fuck' out loud," Josh mocked, slamming himself into Tyler deeper and deeper, nailing his prostate. "Why don't you tell me, tell me what you want me to do to you?"

Though his mouth was open, Tyler didn't find himself particularly articulate at the moment. He repeatedly started to say a word starting with 'F', but as his voice hitched higher it became more challenging.

"Get it out, come on," Josh teased, thrusting himself into Tyler so hard the stall was starting to shake behind him. "What is it that you want?"

"F-Fuck me! Fuck— me!" he finally managed to squeak out, and Josh moved to hold Tyler up with just one arm as his other hand started pumping the pitiful boy's length. The contact alone sent a fresh shock through Tyler's body and took him close to the edge. "Just finish me, p-please finish... J-Josh..."

Josh didn't need to say any more petty lines to help move things along; he was now in the homestretch as well. The sound of skin-on-skin contact was all either of them could hear, that and maybe each other's racing heartbeats. As Josh neared orgasm, Tyler rutted up into his hand, trying to keep up.

Just a few more strokes and hits of his prostate was all that Tyler needed to come; it left his body in an extremely loud moan of Josh's name, shaky but sure as he splattered his own chest and shirt. Following suit, Josh quickly pulled himself out of Tyler and added to the mess with his own fluids, further staining the button-up they never quite got around to taking off.

There was just panting then as the two calmed down, Tyler with his mouth agape and dry, and Josh swallowing thickly around his saliva.

"I think... we're done here," Josh said a bit solemnly. He let Tyler down, cleaned himself up, pulled his pants back on, and walked right out of the bathroom without another word. Tyler, his legs still a bit weak, slid down and sat on the floor. What did that mean? Done forever? Just today? Maybe the angry act they put on was a huge mistake.

Anxious thoughts began to flood Tyler's mind— maybe he'd been too eager, rushed through it all too quickly, and ended up back where he started: used and alone.

As stupid as he knew he'd look, he put his shirt on inside out and hoped no one would notice in the low club lighting. But things seemed too far gone; as soon as he stepped outside the bathroom, everyone within a 30 foot radius knew what had just happened in there... they hadn't exactly been quiet. Beet red in the face, Tyler rushed out the front door and jumped back into his car, where the sudden noise woke up a sleeping Mark.

"Oh, shit, hey, what took so long?"

Tyler took his shirt off and threw it in the backseat, his head falling against the steering wheel dejectedly, eyes squeezed shut.

Mark blinked slowly. "Did you find your wallet?"

A minute passed; Tyler finally spoke up.

"No, I didn't. Let's go home."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! This is the indefinite ending, unfortunately. It may be a while until I continue it, but I do currently have plans to finish the story. Expect more sometime this year (2020).


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